


Another Cliche Love Story

by Heartnets



Category: SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Drama & Romance, Friendship/Love, Gen, Infidelity, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:40:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 28,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heartnets/pseuds/Heartnets
Summary: In which Minho and Jonghyun are best friends but things get complicated.
Relationships: Choi Minho/Kim Jonghyun, Choi Minho/Lee Taemin
Comments: 5
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A fanfic I started years ago that was posted to asianfanfics & tumblr. Finally decided to sit down 6 years later and complete it. And scene.

** Part One **

Minho meets Jonghyun when he’s 10 and the other’s 11.

His family had just moved from Incheon to Seoul and his parents were introducing themselves to the neighbours, trying to make a good impression. 

Minho’s still undergoing his shy and awkward stage so he feels a little out of place standing in Jonghyun’s room as the latter’s mother leaves them alone with a smile stating she hopes they become fast friends.

“Hey, I’m Jonghyun,” the boy says with a confidence that Minho sorta envies. Jonghyun’s shorter than he is, by about an inch. He has medium length black hair, dark brown eyes and an oval shaped face. Minho finds Jonghyun’s features nice and soft, cute even, and he concludes that Jonghyun’s what he assumes one would find attractive before he stutters over telling the other his own name.

“How old are you Minho-ah?” Minho fumbles with the zipper of his jacket, still feeling awkward standing near the door of Jonghyun’s (now that he looks around) messy room, but answers anyway, “I’m ten.”

Jonghyun grins. “I’m eleven that means you have to call me hyung.”

Minho blinks as Jonghyun steps closer. “Dude you’ve got some really big eyes, anyone ever tell you, you look kinda like a frog?”

Minho, taken aback and slightly offended by the statement averts his eyes until they settle upon a green stuffed dinosaur in the corner of the older boy’s room. “Yeah well anyone ever tell you, you look like a dinosaur?”

Minho half expects the boy to frown and demand that he get out of his room. But instead Jonghyun grins and asks him if he wants to play video games.

Minho thinks this friendship will work after all.

Two months later Jonghyun and Minho are inseparable.

His parents are happy because their shy son finally has a friend and his older brother is happy because Minho can stop following him around. And well Minho’s happy because being around Jonghyun makes him happy and he’s _always_ around the other.

They practically live over at one another’s houses, playing video games and telling dumb jokes.

Sometimes Jonghyun will sleep over at Minho’s and they’ll stay up all night watching scary movies even though Minho’s mother has told them to go to sleep long ago.

Or sometimes Minho will stay over at Jjong’s -

_(“did you just call me Jjong?” “yeah…um because Jonghyun is so long of a name…” “No it’s okay, it’s cute I like it!”)_

-and they’ll snicker as they eavesdrop on Jonghyun’s sister’s phone conversations with her boyfriend.

Minho knows Jonghyun’s room almost as well as he knows his own. It’s always cluttered, with skinny jeans and cheap snapbacks thrown about.

_“You should really clean your room more often hyung,” Minho says to Jonghyun one day. But Jonghyun just shrugged it off and replied, “If my room is clean I won’t be able to find anything.” That statement didn’t make much sense to Minho, but he didn’t question it because that was just Jonghyun’s way of being Jonghyun._

Jonghyun knows Minho’s room just the same. It’s always spick and span and Minho gets really ‘butthurt’ if you move something without putting it back into its proper place.

_Jonghyun had entered Minho’s closet once, but quickly clucked his tongue and shook his head at Minho, telling the younger that it was filled with nothing worth looking at._

They know each other’s deepest secrets.

Jonghyun knows that he’s Minho’s first friend, that the boy was practically a loner back in Incheon. That a sweet and kind boy like Minho was subject to constant teasing and harassment because he didn’t look like everyone else.

Minho knows that Jonghyun loves his dad, but sorta hates him because the man puts his work before everything else and Jonghyun doesn’t know the man the way a son should know his father.

Nevertheless, their friendship is kind of perfect.

The first time Minho hears Jonghyun sing happens entirely on accident.

He doesn’t tell Jonghyun he’s coming over, nor does he knock on the door. He just stumbles in the elder’s room unannounced, only to find him sitting at his desk, tapping his foot rhythmically as he belches out the lyrics to a Michael Jackson song.

Minho’s breath gets caught in his throat and his heart beats violently in his chest, because how can anyone have a voice so beautiful? 

“Minho what the hell?!” Jonghyun says shocked and possibly embarrassed once he realizes Minho is there.

Minho barely registered that Jonghyun had finished singing because he was so mesmerized by the other’s voice. “Sorry I forgot to knock hyung, it’s just, your-your voice is so beautiful.”

A light red colour spreads across Jonghyun’s cheeks. “Uhh...you really think so?”

“Yeah.” Minho closes the bedroom door and crosses over to Jonghyun, grinning. “Please tell me you want to become a singer hyung.”

“Ohh I don’t know. I think I like composing a lot more. You wanna hear something?”

Minho nods.

Jonghyun grabs his guitar from under his bed and begins strumming chords in an order Minho’s never heard before.

Minho thinks that everything Jonghyun does is kinda beautiful.

“What do you wanna do when you grow up?” Jonghyun asks Minho as he bounce-passes the basketball to him.

Minho shrugs. “I wanna play soccer but I don’t know,” he trails off, before shooting the ball and missing entirely.

“I think you should. You’d be pretty good at it!”

Minho’s face brightens. “You really think so?” He asks a little too excitedly.

“Of course, if only you’d seen our soccer team before you came around. They were awful. But you make them somewhat decent. What with your frog-like ability to jump and run and actually make contact with the ball.” Jonghyun laughs like he’d just told the best joke in the world.

Usually, Minho would have a smart reply to Jonghyun comparing him to a frog but he’s too busy blushing over the compliment Jonghyun just paid him.

He grabs the basketball again and shoots successfully this time around.

It’s still summer and Minho’s sad. He’s sad because school opens up next week and Jonghyun won’t be there.

The boy was leaving elementary school and starting middle school meaning there would be no more shared lunchtimes, no more getting yelled at for chasing each other in the halls. Jonghyun would be leaving him behind.

Minho sighs quietly as he watches Jonghyun look over his new school uniform. He hasn’t voiced his opinion on the situation but it doesn’t really matter because Jonghyun knows him that well.

“Yah, no need to be sad Minho-ah. We live right next door to each other. We’ll still hang out and see each other all the time I promise.”

Minho pouts. “I’m not sad,” he says while he turns away from the elder’s gaze. “I’ll just… miss you a bit that’s all,” he huffs out.

Jonghyun turns Minho’s face towards himself and pinches the younger’s cheek. “Aigoo you’re so cute. I’ll miss you too Frogho.”

Minho reddens and swats the other’s hand away, although he secretly liked the other’s contact. “Yeah whatever, Dinoboy.”

Jonghyun keeps his promise and Minho is sincerely grateful. Although they don’t see each other as much as he would like, (since Jonghyun’s busy with this new load of schoolwork and he’s joined the music club and all of that), they still hang out on the weekends, eating junk food and catching up on one another’s life.

The school year goes by quickly.

“I’m so mad,” Jonghyun pouts and it’s so cute that Minho can’t even really take the other seriously.  
  
  


“Why hyung?”

“You’re so much taller than me now, I don’t like it.”

Minho grins as he looks down at Jonghyun, happy that they’re wearing matching uniforms once again.

“I am taller aren’t I? Are you sure you’re still the hyung in this relationship.”

Jonghyun hits Minho playfully across the chest. “Yah! Whatever Choi.”

Minho isn’t quite sure what’s going on between him and Jonghyun anymore. Ever since he turned fourteen, and his voice started deepening and he grew taller and started growing hair in odd places, things are different. Maybe things have always been different, but he never paid attention to it until now.

He’s always been observant around the elder, but now he finds himself noticing the little things.

Like how smooth and deep the little indent above Jonghyun’s top lip is.

Or how Jonghyun talks extremely fast when he’s unsure or flustered.

Or how Jonghyun’s lips thin out when he smiles.

Or how the boy resembles a lost puppy when he’s sad.

He notices so much about Jonghyun and he loves all of it but it pisses him off because what the hell is it all supposed to mean?

What does it mean when Jonghyun smiles at him and he feels his heart skip a beat?

What does it mean when he hugs Jonghyun and wishes his hands can stay wrapped around the other forever?

What does it mean when some girl flirts with Jonghyun, only for the brunette to flirt back leaving Minho sulking for the rest of the day?

“Mom, what does it mean when someone smiles at me and I get this like weird feeling in the pit of my stomach? Not a painful feeling, but a nice fluttery feeling that I wish would go away but stay all at the same time,” Minho huffs out. He’s sitting on the washer machine thinking about Jonghyun when he really should be helping his mother fold clothes.

Minho’s mother stops and looks at her son, thin eyebrow raised. “Choi Minho, are you telling me you have a crush?”

Minho pouts.

A crush on Jonghyun? The short dark haired boy who teased him to no end?

Minho’s still fourteen – well fourteen and a half when he has his first wet dream, and he isn’t all that surprised that Jonghyun hyung’s flat stomach and full lips were the reason behind it.

Minho thinks distancing himself from Jonghyun is the best thing.

So he does just that.

Opting for reading dumb teen magazines focused on love and hormones and watching equally dumb teen movies where best friends are in love with each other, then one gets in some relationship along the way, but somehow they still end up together in the end.

_‘Cliché as hell’_ , he thinks.

‘ _Cliché and frickin dumb_.’

Minho shoots up as he hears the doorbell ring. His family doesn’t usually have visitors; well _he_ doesn’t usually have visitors. His parents and brother aren’t home and the only visitor he does have is Jonghyun who never bothers ringing doorbells anymore.

However lo and behold, standing on his doorstep is indeed Jonghyun, sporting a black snapback and a fresh pair of earrings.

_‘Another set of piercings hyung?’_ He wants to ask but Jonghyun looks like he has something serious on his mind.

“Minho-ah why are you avoiding me?”

Minho frowns, because he’s stupid.

Stupid for thinking Jonghyun wouldn’t catch on to what he’s been doing for the past two weeks, which is in fact avoiding the elder.

“I’m not avoiding you hyung.”

“Then can I come in?”

“Sure.”

They end up seated on the floor in Minho’s room, eating leftover pizza. Minho realizes he’s missed this, he’s missed this a lot. But then Jonghyun starts talking about his life and what Minho has missed and he mentions something that has a knot rising in Minho’s throat and the usual fluttery feeling in the pit of his stomach is instead overpowered by a _nasty_ one.

“I have a girlfriend.” Jonghyun says and he blushes. He fucking blushes and it tears Minho apart.

She’s some girl in Jonghyun’s class with long hair and a bright smile and apparently Jonghyun’s quite enamored with her.

Minho doesn’t respond, afraid his voice will come out wobbly and he really doesn’t want to give his feelings away.

Jonghyun says he wants Minho to meet her as soon as possible because how could he have been dating this girl for two weeks already and she’s never met his best friend?

Minho nods and gives a smile. A mirthless smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.

Minho meets Jonghyun’s girlfriend two days later, and she’s just as Jonghyun had described.

She has long hair and a nice smile and Minho thinks the reason Jonghyun likes her most is because she’s shorter than he is. The girl is pretty and nice and Minho hates that he hates her but he can’t help but hate her when Jonghyun smiles at everything she says and holds her hand and even kisses her.

It _infuriates_ him.

They’re not anywhere close to dating, but yet Minho is practically Jonghyun’s woman.

Jonghyun’s sick. And Jonghyun being sick means he’s needy and whiny and his family is probably tired of him already. So Minho makes it his mission to relieve Jonghyun’s mother of her stress and take care of the older boy himself.

“What’s in the bag?” Jonghyun asks before breaking into a fit of coughing.

Minho makes a face. The flu was always running rampant in the winter. And Jonghyun had it especially bad. If he wasn’t coughing, he was sneezing and he kept complaining about his stomach pains and headaches. It nearly pained Minho to see him like this, and to hear that beautiful voice reduced to a croaky mess. So Minho was helping out in whichever small way he could, by cooking for the elder.

Jonghyun sniffles and Minho answers his question. “It’s soup.”

Minho’s heart swells in his chest as Jonghyun hums in appreciation around the spoon that Minho feeds him himself.

“You know Minho, you’re a really good friend.”

A week before Minho’s fifteenth birthday, Jonghyun’s father dies. Kidney failure apparently. It’s so sudden, so unexpected and it hits Jonghyun the hardest. So Minho’s there for him every step of the way.

He accompanies Jonghyun to the funeral, where the elder’s supposed girlfriend is nowhere to be found. They’re both dressed down in black and it’s raining but Jonghyun doesn’t shed a tear throughout the service. His eyes don’t even water as his father’s body is being lowered into the muddy ground.

It isn’t until later that night when friends and family have finished giving their condolences and have left the Kim household that Jonghyun breaks down. Minho holds Jonghyun close and his heart wants to break because now he’s so sure he’s in love with the crying boy lying on his chest and he just wants Jonghyun’s pain to go away.

“We …never...got to have the relationship a father should have with his son,” the sentence comes out choppy and choked as Jonghyun speaks through his sobs. “I barely even knew him…and yet-I-I miss him so much.”

Minho runs a soothing hand across Jonghyun’s back and feels his own set of tears brim in his eyes. Jonghyun tries to pull away and quiet his sobbing but Minho just pulls him back and comforts him. “Just let it all out hyung, just let it out,” he says, voice just above a whisper.

They wake up the next morning with Jonghyun curled up against Minho’s chest. The younger’s hands wound tightly around the other.

“Thank you for staying with me last night,” Jonghyun whispers.

Minho is hesitant to release Jonghyun, enjoying the feel of the other’s body nestled tightly against his. But still, he forces himself to let go of him. “You know I’m always here for you.”

Jonghyun gives him a small smile and scrambles out of his bed.

Minho takes in the sight of Jonghyun’s messy hair and red eyes and puffy lips and…

…he’s never thought the other’s looked more beautiful.

Jonghyun and his girlfriend break up a few days later. Jonghyun needs time to sort his life out and they were growing distant anyway.

Minho’s kinda hates himself for feeling happy but then Jonghyun says; “I’m all yours again now huh?”

And Minho just smiles because that’s the way it should be.

Although Jonghyun still teases him about being awkward in everything he does, Minho thinks he’s grown out of that since he started high school.

He’s gotten even taller, his voice has gotten deeper and he’s grown into his looks a bit. He’s studied hard enough to become a straight A student and practiced three times as much as he studied to become the captain of the soccer team.

He’s even gotten asked out a few times, by guys and girls alike, but he’s turned them all down because his heart belongs to Jonghyun and also because he refuses to become your stereotypical jock.

With high school comes change in Jonghyun as well. The elder pays even more attention to Minho, giving him compliments instead of playful insults and attacks Minho with his skinship.

_If only he knew the effect he has on me_ , Minho thinks whenever Jonghyun leans on his shoulder or touches his chest or holds his hand.

“I just don’t understand you Minnie.”

“Huh?”

“The hottest girl in school asked you out on a date and you said no…”

Minho drops the dumbbell he’d been lifting with his left hand and turns to face Jonghyun with eyebrows raised. “I don’t recall telling you that…How’d you know?”

“I have my sources,” Jonghyun says as he gets off of the floor, having finished his fifty pushups. Jonghyun lifts his sweat drenched wife beater over his head and Minho stifles a groan.

In his seventeen years he hasn’t found many men particularly attractive but _God oh God_ Jonghyun makes him fall apart.

“Why’d you turn her down?”

Minho removes his eyes from Jonghyun’s toned chest and shrugs. “Because I just don’t like her.”

“You could have given her a chance.”

“You’re prying. Jonghyun plus prying equals bad combination,” Minho sing-songs.

Jonghyun chuckles. “Because I know there’s a reason.”

“ Someone else maybe?” He adds and it comes out sounding like an afterthought.

Minho stands and takes a deep breath. He has a clear view of Jonghyun’s glistening chest now and boners and sweatpants just don’t mix. “Let’s just say I have my reasons hyung.”

It seems as if Jonghyun falters at his words, but Minho isn’t sure he’s reading him correctly.

“Yeah sure, sounds like you wanna remain a virgin for the rest of your life Choi.”

_Far from it hyung,_ Minho thinks.

“My mom wants me to go to Japan when I finish school.”

Minho gasps as Jonghyun holds his arms above his head, effectively pinning him down against his own bed. The gasp is more so elicited because of the words that leave Jonghyun’s mouth rather than Jonghyun’s weight on top of him. Why was Jonghyun on top of him again? Oh yeah, the elder wanted to “wrestle”. Minho doesn’t know why. He isn’t really wrestling with the other, more so letting Jonghyun push him around, but then again he’s not complaining. Jonghyun’s weight on top of him feels nice, like something he could really get used to. He could probably reach down and grope the other’s ass if he wanted to and he really _really_ wants to but that isn’t acceptable behavior between two ‘heterosexual’ friends so Minho simply allows Jonghyun to continue holding his arms above his head.

Minho furrows his brows, “Why would she want you to do that?”

“Because the chances of me getting into a good music school here are unlikely,” Jonghyun pouts.

Minho knows Jonghyun could have gotten a scholarship to one of the best music schools in Korea easily with his talent alone. But those schools required better than average grades in other subjects as well and Jonghyun wasn’t really focused on anything that didn’t have to do with music.

“It’s cheaper in Japan, and there are some family friends over there that I can live with.”

Minho’s stomach falls a bit, because he wants the best for Jonghyun and his future career, but the thought of the other being so far away doesn’t settle so well with him. “Are you gonna go?”   
Jonghyun’s graduating in a couple of months, he needed to get things like this sorted out.

Jonghyun releases Minho’s arms and leans in closer to him. “And leave you here to function without me? Not a chance,” he smirks.

“I’m serious Jjong.”

Minho’s bedroom door opens abruptly, the unsuspected sound of it causing Jonghyun to topple over and land on the right side of Minho’s bed.

“Uhhh Heyyy Minseok-hyung,” Jonghyun waves to Minho’s older brother, who looks at the two strangely.

“Uh….Hey….Dinner’s ready….”

“What’s been going on between you and Jonghyun lately?” Minseok asks during a game of GTA with Minho in the living room.

“What do you mean?”

“ _I mean_ the sudden burst of affection for one another, he’s always touching you and you’re blushing like a girl whenever he’s around.”

Minho swallows at his brother’s bluntness. “I-“

“And Sodam noona says he talks about you all the time and how handsome you are…You guys weren’t like this at all when you were little kids.”

Minho pinches the bridge of his nose, the game completely forgotten.

“Look Min, I know Jonghyun’s your best friend and all and you guys like each other a lot but I just don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea about you two. Okay?”

But Minseok was too late because everyone already got the wrong idea.

People have ceased asking him out, because most of his schoolmates legitimately believe him and Jonghyun are dating. 

And for those who know Minho is single, like his soccer teammates, whenever Jonghyun’s approaching they get a kick out of telling Minho that his other half is looking for him.

But the misconceptions don’t really bother Minho and if it bothers Jonghyun, the other surely doesn’t show it.

After Jonghyun graduates high school he gets a job at a clothing store in the mall. The Japan idea is still present in his mind to Minho’s knowledge. But Jonghyun says he’s gonna stay in Korea and see if any opportunities present themselves before he makes a bold decision like moving away.

Minho thinks Jonghyun’s job is pretty shitty. People are really rude and they always expect the workers to put up with their bullshit. But Jonghyun’s well liked and does his job well, and he’s getting paid 7 bucks an hour so he never complains.

Minho visits Jonghyun on the job so often that Jonghyun’s boss ends up offering Minho a job because, _“you’re always here_ _but you never spend any money_.” That makes Minho feel a little embarrassed much to Jonghyun’s amusement, so he visits Jonghyun after hours instead. The mall is a cool place to hang out. The food court has really good food, and they catch movies often. Jonghyun still visits Minho at school though, sometimes he’ll drop him off and he makes it his mission to attend as many of Minho’s soccer games as possible. Minho’s happy that although Jonghyun’s finally free from the teachers, students and all other annoying things associated with high school, he still tolerates it to be close to him.

It’s December. Minho’s turning 18 tomorrow and his brother is throwing him a party that he was unsuccessful keeping as a surprise. Jonghyun’s been acting, well, strange lately. He barely comes over to visit anymore and whenever Minho texts him he gives one word answers unlike the hundreds of emojis Minho’s used to. It reminds Minho of that time when he was thirteen, _or was it fourteen_ – and he started avoiding Jonghyun because he realized he was beginning to have feelings for him.

Minho decides to confront Jonghyun at his birthday party, if the other attends that is. He does get a ‘Happy Birthday Frogho ♥’ text from Jonghyun that morning, but things still don’t feel the same.

Minho doesn’t actually think that Jonghyun will miss his birthday party, and he isn’t let down when he spots the other in the corner of his front room, wearing a jacket two sizes too big (perhaps he’d borrowed it from Minho sometime in the past) and drinking something out of a red plastic cup.

The party’s _really_ getting started, all of the ‘Happy Birthday’s!’ and good luck punches were already given and people were becoming immersed in themselves. Minho’s sure he can sneak away now without anyone wondering where the birthday boy went.

Jonghyun’s face brightens upon seeing Minho and Minho can’t help but smile despite himself. The fact that Jonghyun hasn’t been talking to him has had him in a glum mood all week, but those thoughts are momentarily forgotten when he sees that heart squeezing smile.

Minho motions for Jonghyun to follow him outside. An uncomfortable silence accompanies the two until they reach the front steps of Minho’s house.

“Happy Birthday Minho,” Jonghyun says with another smile that sends Minho’s insides on a journey.

Minho inwardly chastises himself, he invited Jonghyun out here to have a serious talk not get all ‘heart-eyed’ and ‘chin-hands’ over the other – even though Jonghyun’s black hair is scrappy and it makes him look sexy and the oversized jacket makes him look cute at the same time and _god damn it_!

“Why are you ignoring me hyung?”

The question hangs between the two as they stare at each other, waiting. Jonghyun opens his mouth as if he wants to say something, but no sound comes out.

Minho is strangely hurt. Jonghyun’s been neglecting him for about three weeks now and he can’t even say why?

And then a pair of soft, plump lips are pressed against Minho’s. Minho’s already large eyes widen as his brain finally communicates to his lips that Jonghyun is kissing him – or maybe his lips communicate to his brain that Jonghyun’s kissing him – Minho isn’t too sure. But none of this mattered, because Jonghyun, his best friend who he’s been in love with for years is kissing him. Minho feels a burn spread from his lips throughout the rest of his body and he’s so sure that right here, with his tongue tracing Jonghyun’s bottom lip, is where he wants to spend the rest of his life.

When they finally pull away from each other, Minho isn’t quite sure what to make of the look on Jonghyun’s face. It’s a look of sadness and regret, but amongst it all his eyes look content. 

“Enjoy the rest of your birthday Minho,” Jonghyun says and then he leaves Minho, who’s desperately trying to calm the rapid beating of his heart.

Minho spends the next two days touching his lips, remembering the burn beneath them and wondering what this kiss means for him and Jonghyun now. The other doesn’t try to contact him and the fact causes anxiety to rise up in Minho.

Did Jonghyun like him or not?

Or maybe he knew Minho liked him all this time and just wanted to give Minho something worthwhile for his birthday.

Or maybe Minho mistook that look of regret across Jonghyun’s face for a look of disgust.

Minho decides to visit Jonghyun at his job. It’s a little out of the ordinary for Jonghyun’s boss to stop Minho and strike up a conversation with him, but when Minho spots Jonghyun in his peripheral version, he guesses he can understand why.

Jonghyun’s assumedly on break, pressing those same pink lips that touched Minho’s two nights ago, up against some girl’s. Minho swears his heart shatters and he feels a knot rise in his throat that he tries desperately to swallow – to no avail. He wants to cry or scream, because it’s finally settling with him that Jonghyun will never be his. That all the skinship was just Jonghyun’s way of being friendly and some pretty girl with nice breasts and long hair is always gonna get the one thing that Minho wants. Jonghyun’s love. Not platonic love. Actual _passionate_ , _sensual_ , _emotionally driven_ love. That kiss on his birthday was just some joke and Minho can feel tears gather in his eyes because his love story was not getting its happy ending.

Jonghyun’s boss mumbles something that sounds like ‘ _I’m sorry son’_ and it makes Minho realize how obvious it was that he liked Jonghyun. But yet here Jonghyun is playing with his feelings. Minho’s aware that Jonghyun’s not the brightest but he must have had some inkling about the way Minho feels for him, right?

Jonghyun’s eyes meet his across the way and that’s all it takes for Minho to leave the shop and then the mall. His car doesn’t stop until he’s home and his legs don’t miss a beat until he collapses on his bed, happy to allow the tears to flow freely. 

“Minho, can you please just talk to me…”

Minho sighs as he hears the disembodied voice. He doesn’t want to talk to Jonghyun. After he practically ran out of the boy’s workplace yesterday he’s about sure that much is clear.

“Minho please.”

“What!? What do you want me to say?” Minho’s voice sounds as if he’s going to cry.

Jonghyun’s always been a rambler, but that doesn’t mean Minho’s prepared for the words about to leave the elder’s mouth.

“Look I’m sorry that I’ve been avoiding you Minho, but I didn’t know what to do! All of a sudden I started getting this overload of feelings for you and I just didn’t know how to handle it. You’re my best friend and I couldn’t risk screwing up our friendship. So I tried to distance myself from you. But then I saw you on your birthday and I couldn’t stop myself from kissing you. And then you didn’t text or call the next day, I thought you hated me so I started talking to this girl who said she liked me because I was just trying to stop thinking about you. But then yesterday the way you ran out of the shop and the look on your face,” Jonghyun takes in a breath and Minho tenses. “I’m so sorry it took me so long to realize that all this time you had feelings for me and I screwed up big time. I hurt you Minho and I don’t know how many times I can say I’m sorry.” 

Minho turns to face Jonghyun now, a fresh set of tears brimming in his eyes.

Jonghyun has this grave looks on his face and Minho’s wondering what on earth could possibly make him feel worse than he has the past day.

“I guess all this doesn’t matter anyways, because I’m moving to Japan next week.”

Whatever is left of Minho’s heart shrivels up into nothingness.

Minho doesn’t talk to Jonghyun until he leaves for Japan. Well scratch that, Minho doesn’t talk to Jonghyun at all. He hasn’t heard that pleasant voice since the day Jonghyun confessed all his feelings to him. Minho isn’t fully content with his decision to not speak to Jonghyun, but he feels as though his heart will thank him later. Yes Jonghyun confessed that he liked him, Minho was happy to hear that. But what was the use if Jonghyun wasn’t here with him? Jonghyun will probably find some girl _or guy_ in Japan that he likes a lot more than he ever liked Minho, and Minho has somewhat made his peace with that.

Minho graduates comfortably. Soccer and his teammates distract him from any depressing thoughts about Jonghyun and his grades only slip a little bit. He ends up getting a part-time job at a sports store in the mall, right across from where Jonghyun used to work – but he tries to not dwell on that too much.

College is different. The classes are harder, the professors don’t give a damn whether you do their work or not and the parties are wild. With the help of his parents Minho manages to rent a small apartment in walking distance of the campus. He usually uses his own paychecks to pay rent because he tries not to be too dependent on others.

Minho befriends Kibum - who prefers to be called Key -because he’s Minho’s age and lives in his apartment building. Kibum’s not attending college. He already has it made in the shade with some contract to model clothes for a living. Minho envies that. Kibum is rather loud, he speaks his mind a lot and is really flamboyant in his sense of clothing and the way he styles his hair. Minho has no problem with calling Key his best friend because he’s sure he won’t fall in love with him.

Taemin is another story. He’s a younger friend of Key’s from high school and from the moment he and Minho meet, Taemin doesn’t hide his feelings. Taemin’s sweet and cute and Minho thinks it’s pretty inevitable that he begins to feel something for the younger, especially when Taemin unabashedly flirts with him all the time.

What Minho feels for Taemin isn’t quite as strong as what he ~~feels~~ felt for Jonghyun, but it’s enough to base a relationship upon. Minho does end up feeling guilty sometimes though, because when he’s making love to Taemin, most of the time, he’s thinking about Jonghyun, and when Taemin’s nestled against his side, sleeping next to him in his small apartment, Jonghyun’s bright smile invades his dreams. It sucks.

Minho groans as the sound of his cell phone ringing awakes him from his much needed sleep. It’s 7:12, Saturday morning and Saturday always meets Taemin curled up against his side, snoring lightly. Minho yawns, picking up the cell phone without even checking the ID.

“Hello?” His voice is gruff from sleep.

“Minho-ah, I’m sorry I must have waken you.”

Minho blinks a few times, trying to place this oddly familiar voice. It’s a woman and she sounds rather cheery which leads Minho to believe that this person is old, because only old people are happy to be up so early on a Saturday morning.

“Um, I’m sorry who is this?”

“Ahh that’s right we haven’t spoken since you left your parents’ house. This is Mrs. Kim, Jonghyun’s mother.”

Minho instantly freezes. Why in the world would Mrs. Kim be calling him? What if something happened to Jonghyun? The thought makes him feel sick.

“I have a favour to ask you. Jonghyun’s coming home for good tomorrow and I wanted to be there to pick him up from the airport, but I can’t get out of work,” she sighs. “I was wondering if you could do that for me. That boy hasn’t been back home since he left, I think it’ll be great if he can see someone familiar once he arrives.”

Minho’s face is impassive. _Jonghyun_. He hasn’t seen Jonghyun in three years. He hasn’t heard from him in three years. Seeing Jonghyun after all this time, would just cause problems. He’s got a boyfriend and things are going good. Now is not the time for Kim Jonghyun to waltz back into his life and strengthen that faint grasp he has on Minho’s heart.

But Mrs. Kim’s voice sounds hopeful. He can’t imagine himself saying no. “I – Sure, Mrs. Kim. I can do that for you. It’ll be great to see Jonghyun after all these years.” Minho prays that didn’t sound forced.

“Thank you Minho, his flight should arrive at 11am.” She hangs up.

Minho holds his face in his hands and vaguely registers the sound of Taemin waking up. He thinks to himself, _fuck_.


	2. Chapter 2

** Part Two **

****

Sunday morning, 11am (and not a minute later), meets Minho at the airport, a large black coffee in his left hand, while he idly sips at one in his right. Minho’s not the biggest fan of coffee, but he figured he’d need something to keep him grounded before he thinks _screw this_ and leaves Jonghyun to make it home from the airport all by himself.

_Jonghyun_. Minho wonders if he’s changed much. If he still wears those snapbacks and earrings. If he’s got any tattoos. If he still talks the same. Is his hear still jet black, or has he coloured it? Has he put on weight or not? Has he grown taller? None of these things really matter, Minho imagines himself loving Jonghyun no matter what. But after nearly three years of not seeing him, Minho really doesn’t know what to expect.

He needs something to think about to pass the time because he’s really anxious and nervous and if Jonghyun doesn’t arrive soon he might just get up and leave. 

Taemin texts him asking where he is and Minho lies – _why_? Because he’s feeling just a little bit guilty about this Jonghyun thing. Especially since after Mrs. Kim’s call yesterday all he could think about was Jonghyun and he really couldn’t focus on Taemin and whatever they had planned for the day. He tells Taemin that he’s by his parents’ house and he’ll more than likely be there all day, so they can do something tomorrow. It’s not exactly a lie, seeing as where Jonghyun’s living is right next to his parent’s house. _But still_.

Another ten minutes pass of Minho impatiently tapping his foot against the tiled floor of the airport. He abandoned Jonghyun’s cup of coffees a few minutes back, because as far as he could remember Jonghyun never liked coffee and it was probably already lukewarm anyway. Minho fumbles with his bangs nervously and then a sudden burst of people – more than likely coming from the baggage claim – flood the area around him. Minho stands. His eyes frantically search the crowd for Jonghyun, but to no avail. Most of these people appear certain of where they are headed, seeing as most rides wait outside. Minho’s about sure Jonghyun would have been expecting his mother to be waiting for him in this area, so he doesn’t know what to think about this no show. Did Jonghyun miss his flight?

“Minho?”

Minho turns towards the familiar voice that made contact with his ears from the right. “Jonghyun,” he breathes upon seeing the older man.

It takes about five seconds for Minho to fully grasp everything he needs to know about Jonghyun’s appearance. He hasn’t changed all that much. His style is pretty much the same. He definitely hasn’t grown any taller, and he still has those numerous ear piercings that Minho loves. But where Minho had once met jet black hair, he sees silver instead. Minho is immediately enamoured with the change. The lightness of Jonghyun’s hair makes the dark brown of his eyes so much more alluring. Minho can’t help but stare.

“What are you doing here?” Jonghyun’s eyebrows are furrowed and his lips are drawn into a thin line.

Minho gives him a small smile anyway, “Your mother asked me to pick you up.” Minho moves closer to Jonghyun and reaches for one of his bags. The other jerks it away and Minho pretends that movement didn’t hurt him.

“Why would she ask you to do that?”

Minho tries to convince himself that Jonghyun is coming off so hostile because he didn’t expect him as all. “Because she couldn’t get out of work today”, he says plainly.

Jonghyun seems to accept this fact because he mumbles, “I can carry my own bag.”

Minho reaches for it again and grasps it successfully this time. “I _want_ to carry it though.”

The walk to Minho’s car is silent. He notices Jonghyun’s approving look upon seeing the vehicle, but the other says nothing. Minho gets another long look at Jonghyun’s appearance. He takes in the sleeveless shirt Jonghyun is wearing, the tight pants. His breath hitches because Jonghyun is perfect, more perfect than he ever was before and if Minho has trouble dreaming about Jonghyun now, then there is surely a storm coming.

The ride to Jonghyun’s home is even more silent. Jonghyun doesn’t say a word as he gazes out of the window taking in the new buildings and infrastructural changes Seoul has made in the past few years. Minho bites his lip, thinking of what exactly to say. What can you say to your previous best friend/love interest who you purposely avoided for the three years? Do you just ask them how they’ve been and fall into your old routine? _Yeah that’s it_.

Minho clears his throat. “So um, how have you been lat-“

“Don’t.” Jonghyun looks over at Minho harshly.

Minho gulps.

“Don’t ask me how I’ve been like we’re old friends trying to catch up after a month or two. If you really wanted to know how I’ve been doing you wouldn’t have avoided me for three fucking years. So just save whatever bullshit you have to say Minho.”

Minho feels his heart sink at the words and his eyes grow the slightest bit misty. He wants to tell Jonghyun that his heart couldn’t take talking to him. How could he accept the fact that Jonghyun moved away when all he wanted to do was hold him and kiss him and tell him he loved him? He needed to cease contact with Jonghyun in order for him to cope and move on. But Jonghyun does not appear interested in hearing any more of what Minho has to say. The elder pops in a pair of headphones and slumps in Minho’s car seat, letting Minho know that the conversation is over. Minho bites the inside of his cheek and bats away the tears.

When they pull up to Jonghyun’s house, they are immediately greeted by Jonghyun’s older sister.

“Jonghyun-ah I missed you so much.” She squeezes Jonghyun in a hug so tight Minho swears the older boy can’t breathe. Sodam ruffles Jonghyun hair, telling the other that she loves the colour and Jonghyun immediately complains, “ _Noona,_ _you’re messing it up_!” If his mood wasn’t sulky and his heart wasn’t hurting, Minho thinks he might have smiled at the exchange between the siblings.

“And Minho-ah, it’s so good to see you. Still so handsome.” Sodam hugs Minho as well and he allows himself a small smile during her embrace.

“It’s good to see you too noona.” Minho locks eyes with Sodam and tries his best not to look at Jonghyun. “I have a question though, if you weren’t busy why didn’t you pick Jonghyun-hyung up from the airport?” Minho really wants to know, especially since he could have possibly been saved from Jonghyun’s harsh words today.

“Aish my car isn’t working, my boyfriend dropped me here earlier but he had to go to work.”

“Boyfriend?” Jonghyun questions loudly.

“I’ll tell you all about him,” she laughs. “Come on let’s get you settled in.”

Minho helps Jonghyun bring his bags into his old room. The room is just as Minho remembered – the small, stuffy and warm place where he and Jonghyun shared some of their best moments. Jonghyun’s gaze lingers on him and Minho swears he burns beneath the stare, suddenly feeling like he’s outstayed his welcome.

Sodam breaks the tense silence between them. “Minho, why don’t you stay for dinner. Or better yet, invite your parents over, I’m sure they’ll be happy to see Jonghyun.”

Minho smiles politely. “Sure, I’ll go tell mom and dad right now.” 

Dinner isn’t as awkward as Minho thought it would have been, mostly because he and Jonghyun don’t have much conversing going on. Jonghyun’s busy being bombarded with hugs and kisses from his delighted mother who has missed her son oh so dearly. Minho’s happy to see that his mother and Jonghyun’s mother are still as close as ever and his dad is almost like a father figure to Jonghyun.

The adults in the room ask Jonghyun tons of questions about what life was like in Japan and going to school there – all of which Jonghyun answers with a beaming smile on his face.

It isn’t until he’s brought into the conversation that Minho cringes.

“Minho, you must be so excited to have Jonghyun back again. I’m surprised you two aren’t sitting together,” Mrs. Kim comments with a laugh.

Minho gives a polite smile in forced agreement. He doesn’t make eye contact with Jonghyun.

“I can remember the two of you always following around each other like it was yesterday,” Minho’s mother adds in this time. 

“Yeah ma, those were great times…” Minho spares a glance at Jonghyun who’s sitting two seats down from him. The older man doesn’t seem affected at all by Minho’s mother words. He sits quietly, looking rather bored if anything. Minho’s stomach falls at that.

“Uhh,” he clears his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Sorry but I’ve really got to get going, one of my friends asked me to give him a ride home fifteen minutes from now. I’m running late actually...” It’s a lie and Minho will probably regret doing so later, but for right now he really doesn’t want to be here.

“Taemin-ah?” His mother asks.

“Uh…Yeah,” Minho answers and Jonghyun quirks his eyebrow, being the biggest expression change he’s made since Minho was added to the conversation. “Thanks for the meal Mrs. Kim, it was lovely,” Minho says as he gets up from his seat. “I’ll see you later mom and dad. Take care noona and welcome back hyung.“

“Jonghyun, why don’t you escort Minho to his car,” his sister elbows him.

Jonghyun looks a bit disgruntled at the suggestion but gives a smile and says, “Sure.”

Jonghyun only walks him as far as the door, an awkward silence hanging between them.

Minho would really regret if he didn’t try to say something, no matter how much Jonghyun made it seem as if wanted to hear nothing of it. “Jonghyun – I know you’re upset and you don’t feel like hearing it but I truly am sorr-“

“Goodnight Minho,” Jonghyun says with finality, closing the door and effectively cutting off their means of communication. 

Minho sighs as he seats himself into his car.

He had thought long and hard about what today would be like, several scenarios going on in his head. Maybe he and Jonghyun would have had some dramatic reunion in the middle of the airport where Jonghyun dropped his luggage and ran into his arms and then they would’ve kissed and told each other how much they love and missed one another. Minho would have _no qualms_ if that happened at all. Or maybe things would have been awkward between them at first until Jonghyun brought up some stupid joke from their past or called him ‘Frogho’ and just like that they would have slipped into their old routine.

Minho never imagined Jonghyun would be so downright unhappy to see him, even if the reason for Jonghyun’s hostility was all his fault.

***

“What’s the matter with you Minho? You’ve been so depressed lately,” Kibum runs a comforting hand through Minho’s unbrushed hair.

Minho sighs. Here’s another thing he envies about Kibum. The blond is not in college but that doesn’t put him a level below anyone else – especially not himself. Kibum is super intelligent, being one of the few people Minho knows who actually bother’s to read into things and question them rather than accept ‘fact’ as ‘ _fact’_. He’s also able to precisely read people’s emotions at first glance, which makes it really hard for Minho to keep anything from him. 

“You had a fight with Tae?”

“No,” Minho shrugs, suddenly feeling guilty. Here he is pouting over Jonghyun when he’s got an extremely cute boyfriend who’s dancing his heart out at practices right now, unaware of the adulterous thoughts going on in Minho’s head.

“Then what’s going on Choi?” Key pokes him in the chest. “I’m tired of you sitting on my couch looking all mopey, you’re killing the good vibes going on my apartment right now. Look at Comme Des.”

Minho glances at the dog sulking on Kibum’s lap.

“He’s all sulky because of you. Dogs can sense emotions you know, especially negative ones.”

Minho thinks that Comme Des is probably sulking because of the dumb dog hat Kibum has him wearing, but he knows better than to give his opinion on that matter.

Minho takes a deep breath. Better he tell Kibum right now before the blond starts snooping. “Okay Bummie, there’s friend of mine who moved back here a few days ago,” Minho pauses only to have Key urge him on, “Yes and?”

“Well we were really _really_ close up until he left to move to Japan about three years ago and we sort of had a fight right before he left so I kinda ignored his calls and emails for the first few months and then he just stopped sending them-, Minho draws in a breath then huffs, “-so now that he’s back, he’s totally mad at me and doesn’t want to be around me and it’s been so long since all that has happened, I just want him to be my friend again you know.”

“Oh.”

_Oh_? Minho thinks. _That’s all you have to say?_

“Sounds like he has every right to be upset. What did you guys even fight over?”

Minho tenses, he’s not prepared to tell Kibum all about Jonghyun and that stupid girl he kissed in the store that day and the fact that Minho’s been in love with this man since he was fourteen – perhaps even younger. Minho’s not prepared to do that at all, so he lies, which is something he’s been doing too often as of late. “A girl…It’s a long story.”

“A girl?” Kibum laughs. “Are you still in contact with this girl?”

“No, of course not.”

“Well there’s no use of you sitting here sulking instead of doing something about it.” Kibum’s voice takes on a motivational tone. “Do you want your friend back Minho?”

Minho blinks. “Uhh yeah?”

“Then go to him, tell him there’s no use in you two being angry with each other over something that happened three years ago. Tell him that you’re willing to let the past stay in the past and that you guys should start over. Ignoring him was a real dick move on your part-“

Minho’s face falters.

  
  


“-but still,” Kibum continues, “If he was as good of a friend that you say he was then he should be willing to make things work or at least hear you out.”

“Thanks Bummie, I’ll take your advice.”

“Great now put a smile on your face you’re making my dog sad.”

Minho gives Kibum the fakest smile he can muster.

Kibum returns Minho’s smile equally as sarcastic. “Sweetie, you should brush your hair while you’re at it too.” 

***

**Text from _Taeminnie_** **_♥_ ** **, 2 mins ago:**

**_Minho!!! Are you busy today? I wanna come over, maybe around six?_ **

Minho bites his lip in silent thinking as he reads the text. It’s 30 minutes to six right now and that just won’t do.

**To _Taeminnie_** **_♥:_ **

**_Sure baby, but make it a little later tho. I’ve got an errand to run first._ **

Minho didn’t tell Kibum he’d take his advice just for the sake of telling him that. Minho is actually about to go through with it. He takes a deep breath as he stands outside the Kims’ door. He knocks a few times, wondering dumbly if they can hear how nervous he is by the sound of his knuckles hitting the fiberglass.

Although he’s here to see Jonghyun, he really hopes the other doesn’t open the door because he has a feeling Jonghyun would probably just the slam the door right in his face.

His prayers are answered and Mrs. Kim, opens the door instead.

“Minho. How nice to see you again and so soon,” she smiles at him.

“It’s good to see you too Mrs. Kim. Um, is Jonghyun home?”

She frowns. “I thought he would’ve told you…”

Minho doesn’t like the sound of that. “Told me what?” he questions slowly.

“He moved-”

“WHAT?!” Minho asks a little too loudly and panic stricken.

Mrs. Kim stumbles backward, unexpecting his sudden outburst. “-to an apartment not too far from here.”

“Oh.” Minho feels stupid. “When you said ‘moved’ I thought you meant uhh, never mind.” He really can’t take her looking at him as if he’s so strange. Minho scratches the back of his head shyly. He doesn’t want to be here any longer than he has to be now. “Well can you give me his address…”

“Sure,” she says, giving him a small smile and Minho supposes that’s her way of trying to quell the awkwardness of this situation. She retreats into the house to write down the address, leaving Minho standing in the little area near to the door of the house.

When she comes back she isn’t just holding the address on a piece of paper, but a box of items as well. “Can you give that to him while you’re there please? He left it here by accident and hasn’t been able to come and pick it up yet.”

Minho grins. “Sure, no problem Mrs. Kim. Thanks.”

Jonghyun’s new apartment is a single two storey building. Minho appreciates that Mrs. Kim took the courtesy of writing down that Jonghyun’s living on the top floor.

Minho isn’t too nervous about knocking this time because even if Jonghyun doesn’t want to see him (which he probably doesn’t) Minho can use the excuse that he was dropping off Jonghyun’s things. _Win-win_.

When Jonghyun opens the door his eyes narrow upon seeing Minho and he immediately tries to close it – luckily for the brunet, he thought quickly enough to wedge his foot against the door post, effectively stopping the door from closing.

“Hyung please. I just want to talk.”

Jonghyun sighs exasperatedly. “I already said what I had to say Minho.”

“Please hyung just let me in. Your mother wanted me to bring you this box you left at home.” Minho shakes the box for emphasis.

Jonghyun groans. “Fine.”

Minho steps across the threshold and looks around. Jonghyun’s apartment looks really nice on the inside – well it needs some paint and a few more pieces of furniture – but it looks oddly homey for a place he’s only been living in for a few days.

“This is nice,” The brunet comments as he sets Jonghyun’s box down.

“Please Minho, can you say what you have to say already.” Jonghyun’s always been a _quit the theatrics and get to the point_ kind of person.

Minho doesn’t quite know where to start. He bites the inside of his cheek, he didn’t actually think he’d make it this far. Key’s words float around in his head. ‘ _If he was as good of a friend that you say he was then he should be willing to make things work or at least hear you out_.’ That’s all Minho needs to remember. “Jjong just – we’ve been friends since we were kids. We went through some of our most crucial life moments together-“ Jonghyun’s eyes soften at that, encouraging Minho to continue. “I know I shouldn’t have ignored you when you left but my feelings were hurt and I thought the only way I could move on was if I didn’t reply to you. And then your texts and emails just stopped coming and I never bothered to seek you out. I’m really sorry hyung, I know you deserve to be mad at me but I just want to leave the past in the past and start fresh. I just want my best friend back.” Minho averts his eyes from Jonghyun’s figure opting to look at the tiled floor instead.

When Jonghyun doesn’t say anything for what feels like an hour of silence – _feels_ being the operative word, a knot rises into Minho’s throat. He exhales in disappointment. “But thanks for hearing me out hyung-.”

“Wait.” Jonghyun says just as Minho turns to leave. “You really hurt me you know Minho.” He pauses, giving Minho enough time to let those words sink in. “But I suppose I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss you.” He bites his lip. “I-I guess we can start over...or rather pick up where we left off before everything…” he trails off.

Minho instantly beams. His eyes brighten as he smiles widely at his hyung.

Jonghyun scoffs. “Don’t look so ecstatic Choi.”

“Hyung can I hug you?”

Minho doesn’t miss the way Jonghyun’s entire face seems to heat up. “Ehhh…I guess?”

Minho wastes no time in wrapping his arms around Jonghyun just in case the latter suddenly changes his mind and decides that this was a bad idea. Minho rests his chin on top of Jonghyun’s silver hair, enjoying the scent of strawberries that invades his nostrils. Even after three years, Jonghyun fits so perfectly against him that even if he tried Minho wouldn’t be able to stop smiling. Jonghyun rests his head against Minho’s chest and Minho’s so sure Jonghyun can hear the hammering of his heart in his ribcage. But he doesn’t care.

“When’d you get so tall?” Jonghyun mumbles into the fabric of his shirt.

Minho pulls back before he does something reckless like kiss the shorter man. “I’ve always been this tall hyung.”

A comfortable silence falls between them as they stand staring at one another. Minho suddenly remembers that Taemin’s supposed to be visiting him soon and he needs to be there. Minho’s torn you see, because he really wasn’t expecting Jonghyun to accept him and he really just wants to stay here and catch up on Jonghyun’s life but – _Taemin. Boyfriend. Priorities_.

Minho frowns, fisting his hands into his pockets. “Uhh hyung I’ve got to get going but you wanna get coffee or something tomorrow morning? We can catch up…”

“Well I don’t really like coffee but I know you’ll start sulking if I say no.” Jonghyun grins.

“I don’t sulk.” Minho pouts.

“Ten years of knowing you say otherwise.”

Minho laughs accepting his defeat. “See you tomorrow hyung, you know the breakfast place not too far from here. Around 8am?”

Jonghyun smiles. “Yeah I know the place. See you later…Frogho.”

When Taemin sits on Minho’s lap later that night, he looks at Minho strangely. “You’re in a good mood.”

Minho mumbles a “mhm-hmm” and kisses Taemin on the lips.

***

Minho waves widely at Jonghyun once he sees his silver head walk into the small restaurant. He’d been here quarter to 8, but Jonghyun didn’t make him wait long, sauntering in just past 8:15, with a bright smile adorning his features as he takes a seat across from Minho.

“Morning,” he says cheerily and Minho snorts. _When did he become such a morning person._ “I ordered you a hot chocolate instead of coffee since you’re not a fan.” It’s early September but the coolness of fall is already approaching. Minho thinks Jonghyun will appreciate the beverage.

The elder hums and grabs the cup along with one of the donuts Minho took the courtesy of ordering. Jonghyun brings the sprinkle covered donut to his mouth but immediately stops as he takes in Minho’s expression – an expression that looks like the other wants to say something but isn’t sure whether or not it’s appropriate. “What?! What are you giving me that weird look for?”

Minho blushes, embarrassed. “Uhh – I just wanted to say you look really handsome as all…”

Jonghyun’s eyes widen then narrow. “Yah! What are you playing at?”

“I’m serious. The silver hair really suits you hyung.”

Jonghyun rubs the back of his neck and grumbles, “Thanks…I guess.”

Minho smiles at that. Jonghyun’s so used to giving compliments but he gets super flustered when he receives them.

Their breakfast date – which is not an actual date but Minho calls it that in his head because it sounds nice – runs comfortably. Jonghyun enlightens Minho on the fact that he spent most of his time writing and composing music in Japan – after he learned the basics of the language of course. He says that he started working for a music producing company there that has a branch in Korea, so once he’d expressed his wishes of moving back home they were happy with transferring him. Minho’s happy that Jonghyun’s able to live out his dreams.

Jonghyun asks about Minho’s life as well and the brunet tells Jonghyun that _yes_ , he’s still playing soccer and while he’s looking forward to getting onto a professional team, he’s studying to teach Physical Education as well.

Their conversing and playful banter continues throughout the hour and all the while Minho tries not to get distracted when Jonghyun smiles his genuine smiles or when his tongue peaks out to lick away a bit of frosting that’s gathered on the corner of his mouth. 

When 9:30 nears, Minho reluctantly tells Jonghyun that they need to depart. His first class for today begins at 10 and he’ll probably be late but he doesn’t really care all that much. They exchange numbers and Jonghyun promises Minho that they’ll meet up and do something sometime this week.

Minho leaves the small restaurant feeling content.

***

“So, you got your dick wet last night huh?”

The colour drains from Minho’s face at Kibum’s words. “I - WHAT?!”

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you’ve been smiling to yourself the entire time you’ve been here. I thought Tae had dance practice early this morning.” Kibum giggles and pats Minho against the cheek jokingly. “You need to learn how to control your urges Minho, how can Taemin dance if his butt is sore?”

Minho swats Key’s hand away and kisses his teeth. “I didn’t have sex with Taemin last night.”

“Then what’s got you in such a good mood? Three days ago you were brooding.”

Minho sighs, silently praying for the day when Kibum begins to mind his own business. “You know that friend I told you about, the one who cut me off?”

The blond looks at Minho strangely. “Yeah and?”

“I took your advice and talked to him. He decided that we really should leave the past in the past and well we’re friends again.” Minho honestly cannot stop himself from grinning every time Jonghyun comes to mind.

“So wait…you’re telling me that you’re _this_ happy because an old best friend decided to give you another chance?”

Minho shrugs, smiling, and Kibum’s eyes narrow.

“I still think it’s something else,” the slightly older man grumbles.

_Well_. Maybe it was something else. But Kibum doesn’t need to know that.

***

The next few weeks Minho and Jonghyun spend hours upon hours of time together, getting their relationship back to the point that it was before Jonghyun’s departure.

One Tuesday afternoon Minho helps Jonghyun paint his apartment and somehow they both end up with more paint on each other than what coats the walls. Minho smiles the entire day, even as he goes home and his body stings from trying to scrub all that damn paint off.

On a Friday when Taemin’s at dance rehearsals and Minho’s already completed all his assignments, Jonghyun curses him out and hits him across the head with a pillow because Minho beat him at Ninja Storm 2, 3-0.

Sunday afternoons are spent laughing and having dinner with their families and Minho’s mother thinks her son has never looked happier.

Minho’s aware that he’s been really neglecting Taemin lately, but that fact only registers in his brain and he is too busy following his heart.

***

Minho groans in annoyance when he hears loud, obnoxious and uncalled for knocking on his front door. He wonders if it’s some bratty kid who can’t quite wait until Halloween to begin annoying grownups for candy.

Minho opens the door and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. It’s not some bratty kid – it’s Key (who can be equally as annoying when he gets ready.)

“Kibum? What the hell are you knocking on my door this loud for?”

Kibum appears completely calm as he steps into Minho’s apartment. However, his eyes are ablaze and Minho’s brain registers that that’s when Kibum is ready to do the most damage.

“Minho, is there any reason why your own boyfriend has no clue where you’ve been lately?”

“What?” Minho can’t believe Key nearly knocked his door down just so he could meddle in his and Taemin’s relationship.

“You have no idea what today is, do you?’

Minho frowns. It’s none of his family’s birthdays. Taemin’s birthday was in July and they just celebrated Key’s last month. It’s not Jonghyun’s birthday. _God damn it, this isn’t about Jonghyun_. Okay…now was there anywhere he was supposed to be today? Taemin’s big dance performance is in December and Key hasn’t pestered him about coming to see one of his modeling shows in months…

“Oh my god, you really don’t know, do you?”

Minho shrugs and Kibum looks at him unbelieving. “So you gonna stare at me all day or are you gonna tell me what’s so special about today?”

Kibum scoffs. “It’s you and Tae’s 6th month anniversary asshole.”

Minho feels sick. _Oh fuck_. It’s October 20th, exactly six months since he and Taemin began dating. Minho searches frantically for his phone. He doesn’t want to imagine Taemin sitting at home crying over him because he forgot something as important as this.

“Like what the fuck Minho? You took Tae out on a three day vacation for your one month anniversary and yet somehow you forget that you two have been dating for half a year?!”

Minho finds his phone between the seats of his couch. “Look Bummie thanks for reminding me. I understand I’ve fucked up but I really don’t need you yelling down my throat about it now!”

“Is this because of this old friend of yours? He’s occupying all your time now? Because it’s really shady how neither me nor Taemin have even met the guy yet!”

Minho growls. “Kibum! I’m gonna let you and Taemin meet him soon, but right now I really need to apologize to Tae.”

Key retreats, slamming Minho’s door in the process, leaving the latter to dial Taemin’s number in peace. When Taemin answers, Minho sighs. “Baby I’m so _so_ unbelievably sorry I forgot our anniversary. I don’t even have a valid excuse-“

Taemin laughs and Minho frowns. He doesn’t know if that was sarcastic or if Taemin’s not actually upset.

“It’s okay hyung. In all honesty, I kinda forgot too. I was so busy with dance rehearsals and all, but then Key-hyung called and asked me what we were doing and then I remembered and yeah...”

Minho sighs in relief. “You’re really not mad at me?”

“Of course not hyung. I just miss you, we’ve barely seen each other lately...”

Minho can picture the cute little pout Taemin’s wearing right now. “I miss you too Tae…” Minho feels guilt rise up in his throat like bile. He does miss Taemin, a little bit, but he’s done nothing to express it and that really isn’t fair to the younger male. “We’ll do something next week, I promise.”

“I love you.”

Minho can’t really find it in himself to say those three little words back.

“Yeah me too…Goodnight Tae.”

***

Minho finds himself at Jonghyun’s roughly a week after his and Taemin’s anniversary. Key keeps pestering him about meeting Jonghyun, so Minho thinks it’s about time he introduces the older man to his friends.

When Jonghyun opens the door however he does not look like he’ll be going anywhere soon. The elder’s skin is lacking its usual attractive appearance, instead looking dull and lifeless.

Minho’s face is grave as he takes in Jonghyun’s sick and disheveled state. “Hyung what’s happened to you?” He brushes Jonghyun’s bangs away from his heated forehead.

Jonghyun coughs, emitting a grainy sound which makes Minho cringe. “I’ve got the flu or something.”

Minho takes in the long pajama bottoms Jonghyun’s wearing and his shirtless form. He ushers Jonghyun inside. “Hyung you really should be wrapped up in blankets, not walking around shirtless.”

Jonghyun groans. “But I’m hot and cold at the same time.”

“I don’t care,” Minho says softly. He makes Jonghyun lie down onto the couch and covers him with a blanket he retrieved from the elder’s bedroom. “Stay wrapped up hyung, you need to sweat this out.”

“What are you going to do Minho?” The blond asks once he finds a comfortable position.

“You’ll see.”

“Hey hyung, wake up.” Minho shakes the sleeping man lightly in order to wake him from his little nap.

Jonghyun opens his eyes grudgingly. “You’re such an asshole, I just got to sleep you know!”

Minho chuckles as Jonghyun breaks into a fit of coughing. He smirks, inwardly thinking Jonghyun kinda deserves that for cursing at him. “I made you soup hyung.”

“You what?” Jonghyun sits up, wincing, and looks at Minho with wide eyes. A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he spots the small bowl filled with soup Minho has prepared. “You gonna spoon food me like you did when we were kids?” He raises a sweat lined brow.

Minho’s eyes form adorable half-moons as he smiles at the fact that Jonghyun remembered that. He brings a spoon up to Jonghyun’s lips watching as the other blinks in surprise.

“I can feed myself Minho.” Jonghyun grabs the bowl. “But I appreciate the gesture.”

Minho pouts briefly. In all honesty, he was actually looking forward to spoon feeding Jonghyun. The blond sniffles before he hums around his first taste of the soup. “What made you decide to come visit me Minho? You miss me already?”

Minho grins. “As if! Looks like you can’t be away from me too long or else you start getting sick.” Jonghyun scoffs and Minho smirks. “I actually came over to invite you out hyung. I think it’s time you met some of my friends.”

***

“Kibum, Taemin, this is my friend Jonghyun. Jonghyun, these are my friends Kibum and Taemin.”

Their meeting isn’t as awkward as Minho thought it would have been. Kibum seems to take quite the liking to Jonghyun judging by the way they converse the entire car ride to the movie theater. Taemin seems less interested and Minho supposes that’s because Taemin isn’t much of a converser or a people person like Key.

The quartet decides to watch a low budget horror movie, much to Key’s chagrin. They buy overpriced snacks and sit at the very back of the theater, Minho between Jonghyun and Taemin. They make quiet bets on which characters are going to die first and they laugh at every horrible effect displayed.

At one point during one of the movie’s better scenes, Jonghyun grasps onto Minho’s arm and curls against his side just the tiniest bit and although he should be wondering if Taemin or Kibum are watching them or not, he’s actually wondering if those two can hear the rapid sounds of his beating heart.

It’s late when they exit the theater. Key exclaims that despite it nearing 12am, they really should get some barbecue seeing as he texted Jinki hyung and the older man is more than willing to keep the shop open for them.

Jinki is another one of Minho’s friends who he met through Kibum. The older man is extremely kind and tender hearted, and Minho loves being in his company whenever the chance presents itself. Jinki however, helps his parents run a very successful barbecue shop and that keeps him busy most days. Minho rarely gets the opportunity to spend time with the other.

“Jinki hyung, this is my friend Jonghyun. Jonghyun,” Minho gestures to the hazel haired man with his hand, “meet Jinki.”

Jinki smiles widely at Jonghyun as everyone present takes a seat around the small table. “Nice to meet you, Jonghyun.”

There’s still some meat sizzling on the small grill sitting on the table, but most of it is already cooked to perfection, resting on plates in front of them.

“God Jinki-hyung you’re the best!” Key says before grabbing at the meat in front of him. Taemin does the same and soon enough the five of them find themselves eating in comfortable silence. Jonghyun gets asked a few questions here and there about his life and his plans, but for the most part there isn’t as much talking as there is chewing going on.

“So Jonghyun-ah, how long have you known Minho?” Jinki asks once the food begins to dwindle.

Jonghyun seems a little dazed by the question. “Uh we’ve been best friends since he was nine or ten at least…”

Taemin coughs in surprise. “I’m sorry what?” He cuts in.

Jonghyun blinks. “What?”

“No offense hyung…but have you really known Minho that long? It’s just weird seeing as he’s never really mentioned you…”

Minho shakes his head in disbelief, mouthing “ _Tae_ ” at the younger boy from across the table. Taemin shrugs and Jonghyun smiles. Minho supposes he’s the only one who can tell that smile is forced.

“Well, Minho told me that he met you all after I left for Japan and well when I left Minho and I weren’t really on good terms so I suppose that’s why-“

“What happened?” Taemin asks, thoroughly interested.

“I’m not sure how to explain it…”

Kibum looks quizzically at Jonghyun. “Wasn’t it just a teenaged fight over a girl?”

Jonghyun frowns up at Minho. “Uhh yes, I suppose it was. I don’t really feel like going into details.” Taemin and Key look somewhat satisfied with that answer. Jinki looks passive and Minho sighs in relief.

“So do you like Jonghyun?” Minho asks Taemin as he places his toothbrush into the cup near the sink. Taemin’s sleeping over tonight. His mother would probably throw a fit if she ever found out he came home after 1am anyway.

“Honestly Minho, not really.”

Minho furrows his brows as he walks into the dark bedroom. “Why baby?” He asks as he settles next to Taemin under the sheets.

“I just – I don’t know? I just don’t take to him I guess. It may sound dumb since we’ve just met,” Taemin bites his lip, “but like I feel threatened by him somehow.”

Minho purses his lips at the underlying meaning of Taemin’s sentence. 

“Sorry I know he’s your friend and all…”

Minho kisses Taemin’s forehead. “No, it’s okay.”

***

“So what do you think of my friends hyung?” Minho asks the shorter man as he swallows his last piece of pizza. It’s October 31st and it’s raining outside, which really sets the mood for Halloween. Minho had been invited by Key to tag along with him to a party, but had declined – seeing as the party only contained a bunch of Key’s modeling friends. Minho didn’t want a rerun of last year when everyone had asked him why the heck he wasn’t modeling and Kibum scoffed the entire night.

“They’re pretty cool. I like Key a lot, he even gave me his number and we’ve been texting a bit. Jinki hyung’s cool too, told me he’d give me a discount if I ever visit his place again,” Jonghyun grins before sitting straighter on the couch. “What’s the other guy’s name…Tae?”

“Taemin,” Minho provides, wondering if Jonghyun really can’t remember his name or if he’s just pretending to not be able to.

“Ahh well, Taemin is – I don’t think he likes me that much…” Jonghyun looks to Minho for affirmation on the topic.

“That’s not true hyung, Taemin just takes a little longer to warm up to people as all.”

“What is he to you anyway?” Jonghyun questions with eyebrows raised. “You two seem pretty close…”

Minho doesn’t even think before answering. “He’s just another friend. I met him through Key actually…”

Jonghyun narrows his eyes and Minho wonders what exactly is holding him back from telling Jonghyun, Taemin’s his boyfriend.

***

November feels like a blur. Minho doesn’t see much of any of his friends really, too busy doing last minute assignments and preparing for final exams. Taemin’s busy too; juggling school work and preparing for his big dance recital come early December. Kibum got offered the opportunity to travel to Thailand and participate in a photoshoot promoting vacationing to Thailand to escape the harsh winters of Korea. _The lucky bastard_. Jinki’s usually missing in action, but Minho’s seen him once when he visited his restaurant during one rare moment of free time.

Minho misses Jonghyun more than he misses any of them. He misses the shorter man’s puppy like eyes and how cute his teeth look when he smiles those open mouthed smiles. He misses Jonghyun’s soft voice and his high cheekbones, his smooth skin and his pink lips.

He and Jonghyun go out for hot chocolate one Friday night late November. They chat and drink, and Minho stares unabashedly at the froth gathered below Jonghyun’s philtrum, thinking of how utterly content he’d feel if he could just reach forward and lick it off.

Minho realizes now that the reason he hasn’t told Jonghyun about Taemin is because he’s still hoping that there can be something between them. He’s waiting for the day that Jonghyun says to hell with being just friends and tells him that he still loves him – or at least Minho’s waiting for the day that he himself has the balls to confess.

After all these years he is still hopelessly in love with Jonghyun and the fact that he thinks about being with Jonghyun whenever he’s around Taemin makes him feel like the scum of the earth.

But if being in love with Kim Jonghyun makes him a shitty person then so be it. Minho would just have to deal.

***

December 2nd is a gloomy day. Minho wakes up well past noon, a little too late to consider having Sunday dinner with his and Jonghyun’s family. Minho carries on like he would have before Jonghyun returned to Korea. He showers and gets dressed, lounging around his apartment in sweats and a hoodie. He eats some leftovers from when he’d cooked last week, and scrolls through his phone, glancing at unanswered text messages and missed phone calls. His finger pauses over Jonghyun’s name and he contemplates sending the other a message. Minho could afford to go out and waste time. The worst of his finals were already completed and his last exam is Thursday morning.

Minho furrows his brows as the box to type his message pops up. It is December 2nd, exactly a week from his 21st birthday. Which means it’s the anniversary of the death of Jonghyun’s father. Minho doesn’t know if Jonghyun would appreciate company during this time but he’d be damned if he didn’t try to find out.

The sky has darkened considerably when Minho reaches the cemetery. He’d already confirmed that Jonghyun wasn’t at his apartment nor was he at his mother’s home. Just as Minho had expected the shorter man is standing in front of his father’s grave, his large jacket making him look small and vulnerable.

Minho approaches Jonghyun carefully, clearing his throat as to not startle him too much.

Jonghyun doesn’t appear startled at all, he just looks back at Minho with those tear stained cheeks. Minho’s heart sinks. As pretty as Jonghyun is when he cries, Minho never wishes to see the man experience enough sorrow to be brought to that point.

“How’d you know I’d be here?”

“I guessed. Figured you could use some comfort…”

Jonghyun doesn’t say anything. He turns back to face the gravestone and sighs. “It’s been six years since he’s been gone and I still find myself thinking of the relationship we never had. I remember when I was younger I thought it didn’t matter if he didn’t come to one of my recitals because he was always gonna be there. He was gonna come someday right? Now that I think about it, he’s never even heard me sing or looked at a song I wrote.”

Minho places his hand on Jonghyun’s shoulder. “JJong I know you feel a lot of regret about your relationship but you can’t keep thinking about the past hyung. Your dad _has_ heard you sing because he’s probably watching over you now and I bet he’s real proud.” Minho turns Jonghyun to face him and wipes away his stray tears with his thumb.

Jonghyun shakes himself from Minho’s grasp. “I don’t feel regret anymore Minho. I can’t change the past…But it just makes me realize how much we treat human life like it’s a fucking joke.”

Those words hit Minho particularly hard.

“We dodge around this and that. We don’t tell people we love them when we should because of some stupid belief that they’re always gonna be there. I don’t intend on living like that anymore.” Jonghyun looks at Minho with a sort of determination in his eyes.

A light rain begins pouring down on them and Minho is momentarily distracted from Jonghyun’s stare and the meaning behind his words. “Hyung…we should – I mean if you’re done…we should go. I don’t want to see you sick again.”

Jonghyun gives the grave one more wistful look. “Sure, let’s go Minho.”

**Text from _Jonghyunnie_** **_♥♥♥_ ** **, 30 secs ago:**

**_Hey Minho, I know you’ve been tired from studying for exams and all but I’m singing at Club Orgel tonight and I’d really appreciate it if you were there._ **

Minho doesn’t even consider refusing to go. 

The club is awfully packed when Minho arrives. He supposes this club’s _Live Music Sundays_ gig really has its fans. He orders a beer and looks near to the stage to see if he spots Jonghyun. He doesn’t. Minho texts the other but receives no response. He pouts as he sips idly at his beer and brushes off a pretty female trying to flirt with him.

Minho sits through three songs from three very talented people until he hears Jonghyun’s name being called over the mic. He perks up and squeezes his way through the crowd, attempting to get a better view of the stage. Jonghyun looks breathtaking in black leather pants hanging low on his hips and a sleeveless black dress shirt that hugs his small but built frame. Minho wants to touch the older man, so badly.

Minho watches mesmerized as Jonghyun begins strumming his guitar and the first few notes leave his pink lips. Jonghyun’s singing a familiar song. An English one by some spoiled American teenager. But the way Jonghyun’s taking the fast paced, annoying and over _-played-on-the-radio_ song and turns it into a slow paced ballad, has Minho wondering if this song wasn’t Jonghyun’s to begin with. He’s always known Jonghyun could sing but the shorter man sounds even better than he’d remembered. His voice sounds so manly and yet he’s hitting those high notes with no difficulty. Jonghyun’s voice sounds sensual and soothing and it’s the only thing Minho wants to hear for the rest of his life.

Jonghyun’s eyes lock onto Minho’s as he sings the last few words of the song and Minho’s heart melts onto the floor.

“Thanks for coming tonight Minho.”

They’re back at Jonghyun’s apartment, enjoying the cool night air washing over them as they stand on Jonghyun’s back patio.

Minho leans onto the railing and gazes at the illuminated streets of Seoul. “You’re welcome hyung. Your voice is even more beautiful than I’d remembered.” Minho catches the tinting of Jonghyun’s cheeks in the moonlight. “Aww you’re blushing hyung.” Minho reaches forward to pinch one of Jonghyun’s red cheeks.

Jonghyun jerks away. “Yah! I wasn’t blushing.”

Minho laughs, turning to lean onto the railing again.

They stand in comfortable silence for about three minutes until Jonghyun bites his lip. “Taemin…”

Minho’s eyebrows furrow as he looks sideways at Jonghyun, feeling the shift in the previously playful mood. “What about him?”

“He’s your boyfriend isn’t he?” Jonghyun already knows the answer, but he wants to see if Minho is going to lie to him or not.

Minho stares blankly at Jonghyun, any semblance of an expression completely washed off his face. “I - H - How’d you know?” The wording of his response really makes it seem as if he was trying to keep his relationship with Taemin a secret from Jonghyun, but he can’t take the words back now.

“I had my suspicions. And then Key confirmed them. I asked you about him and you said you were just friends,” Jonghyun chuckles dryly.

“I’m sorry hyung I just-“

“You just what?! I’ve been sitting here all this time, relishing all the time we’ve been spending together. You leading me to believe that there was still a chance for something to happen between us.”

Minho’s heart hammers in his chest at Jonghyun’s words.

“Do you know how in love I was with you before I left?! I know I didn’t express it very well but I couldn’t get over you. I was pissed as fuck when you ignored me and I still couldn’t get over you! All my relationships failed because I couldn’t get my best friend out of my head. And then I move back here and we say we’re gonna be _friends_ again. But you visit me all the time and make me soup when I’m sick and compliment me and buy me things, treating me like your damn boyfriend, stringing me the fuck along, when you’ve got an actual boyfriend curled up next to you at home.” Jonghyun digs the heels of his palms into his eyes and Minho fears he’s made the shorter man cry. “Why did you lie Minho?”

Minho breathes deeply in through his nose at Jonghyun’s choked words, thinking the other couldn’t have possibly been as in love with him as much as he was with Jonghyun when he was younger. “Hyung I – I don’t know? I – fuck.” Minho thinks his brain is finally cooperating with his heart as he makes up his mind to tell Jonghyun the truth. “I lied because _I wanted_ something to happen between us because fuck hyung, I loved you so much when we were kids. I’ve been in love with for as long as I can remember. Even though I ignored you when you left, I’ve never once stopped thinking about you. Not even when I met Taemin did I forget the hold you had on my heart. You were always present in my mind.” Minho steps closer. “ _You are always present in my mind_.”

Jonghyun breathes sharply at how close Minho is. Minho’s small face bathed in the moonlight is the most beautiful thing he’s seen in a long time. Jonghyun gulps as Minho’s hand reaches out to grasp his chin. “What are you doing? What about Taemin?”

Minho sighs. “If I don’t do what I’m about to do right now hyung, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. And I don’t intend on living my life like that anymore.”

Jonghyun eyes widen as his earlier words hit him instead.

Minho leans forward, allowing his lips to brush experimentally against Jonghyun’s at first. The latter’s eyes fall shut at the touch, unable to stop the small moan that escapes him as Minho begins to press his lips firmly against his. Jonghyun’s hands reach upward to grip onto Minho’s hair while he angles his head differently, allowing his and Minho’s lips to glide freely over each other’s. Minho pulls back just as Jonghyun’s about to allow him entrance to his mouth.

“Do you want me to stop?” Minho breathes.

“No. Never.” Jonghyun crashes his lips against Minho’s, opening his mouth to the taller man. Minho truly explores Jonghyun for the first time, enjoying the warm and inviting feeling of his mouth. Their tongues stroke one another’s, allowing Minho to swallow Jonghyun’s light moans and pants while Jonghyun in turn does the same. Their kiss is rough, passionate and desperate. Minho’s hands grip onto Jonghyun’s face as if he can’t get enough of him, like he needs to kiss him hard enough before he wakes up from a barely satisfying dream. But this isn’t a dream. Because the way Jonghyun’s tugging on his hair and making soft whines of ‘ _Minho_ ’ into his mouth, he is certain that this is very, _very_ real.

Minho moves from Jonghyun’s mouth to his neck, kissing and sucking along the expanse of it, leaving marks in the process. He memorizes every detail of Jonghyun’s reactions to his kisses. Which spots make him whimper and which spots make him moan, making sure he learns how to play Jonghyun like a fine instrument. He is painfully hard – they both are and the brunet isn’t sure how much of dodging around the inevitable he can take.

“Ung Minho I-,” Jonghyun moans when the taller man’s tongue moves back to his neck and brushes over one of his more sensitive spots. Minho pulls back. He grips Jonghyun’s hips possessively while staring into the older man’s dilated pupils. Jonghyun practically whimpers, “I need you, fuck I need you so bad. M-make love to me.”

Minho shushes Jonghyun with a deep kiss and tugs him off of the patio.

The two stumble ungracefully into Jonghyun’s bedroom, hastily trying to shrug out of frustratingly tight clothes and touch each other, anywhere and everywhere, all at the same time. Minho grips Jonghyun’s ass as soon as the other’s clad in mere boxers, bringing him down on top of him onto the mattress.

Jonghyun attacks Minho’s chest, tongue flicking over Minho’s nipples, causing the latter to groan in deep tones. Minho moves his hyung’s briefs downward, freeing the other’s leaking cock and allowing his hands access to the smooth skin of Jonghyun’s behind. Minho massages Jonghyun’s ass and spreads his cheeks apart, feeling as if he can’t take much more of foreplay. They’ve skirted around this long enough.

Jonghyun is flipped over with Minho looming over him, taking in the sight of _his_ Jonghyun-hyung all submissive and spread out for him. He never thought he’d see the day. Their cocks are hard against one another’s and Jonghyun murmurs a “ _Please Minho_ ,” which hits Minho right in the groin. Jonghyun has lube, and it’s cold and feels unpleasant on Minho’s fingers. But Jonghyun’s insides are warm and he sucks Minho’s digits in smoothly, as if Minho belonged there. Minho excessively prepares Jonghyun, because while he’s aching with need and Jonghyun’s soft whines of his name don’t really help, he doesn’t want to see Jonghyun’s face contorted with pain at his entry.

“Ugh please Minho I need more, I need you in me,” Jonghyun breathes as he covers his eyes with his arm. Minho takes in the sight of Jonghyun’s erection, precum oozing from the slit despite being untouched.

And then he pushes in, causing Jonghyun’s eyes to roll back at the sudden pleasure blooming in him. “Oh fuck Minho,” he moans loudly, encouraging Minho to slide out and push back in. Minho groans from the feeling of Jonghyun’s tight heat surrounding his dick, thinking of how this utterly delicious feeling is something his dreams would have never been able to conjure up.

Jonghyun’s legs lock themselves around Minho, to where Minho’s body makes contact with his member every time Minho strokes in. Jonghyun loves the feeling of being so full, of feeling Minho so hard and stroking so deep inside him. His arms grab a hold of Minho’s neck pulling the other down toward his lips. Their tongues dance lazily with each other as Minho strokes lovingly into Jonghyun, continuing his movements at a rhythm that won’t relent.

“Ohh fuck hyung you’re so so good,” Minho whines against Jonghyun’s ear and to himself it almost sounds as if he’s crying. He doesn’t think he’s going to last much longer, but he wants Jonghyun to feel really _really_ good, even better than he does now – so he shifts the angle of his strokes until Jonghyun’s crying out.

“Right there Minho, fuck! Fuck me right there!” Minho does as the older man says, unable to stop his own set of panting and groaning of his hyung’s name. He watches, mesmerized as Jonghyun grips his own cock, stroking clumsily and without a rhythm but it remains incredibly arousing all the same. When Jonghyun shoots all over his chest, Minho swears he loses it. And when Jonghyun lifts upward and presses a tender kiss to his lips, Minho explodes.

They’re both breathless and panting when the intensity of their orgasms passes over. They ignore sweat and sticky discomfort and simply lay in Jonghyun’s bed, Jonghyun’s head on Minho’s chest, with their hands entwined. Minho licks his lips as he runs his thumb in small circles over Jonghyun’s hand, hyperaware of the fact that Jonghyun can hear his heart still racing in his chest. Jonghyun looks up at him and grins, as if he knows what Minho is thinking and presses his lips to Minho’s again. They kiss long and deep and Minho thinks words aren’t really needed, they’re conveying all their thoughts and desires through the simple pressing of lips.

Jonghyun does give him words though. He tilts Minho’s chin towards him and whispers “ _I love you_ ,” in that attractive, breathy, voice of his.

Those words are a bit much for Minho. He isn’t sure if he wants to scream to the heavens or break down crying. He murmurs, “I love you too Jjong, more than you can imagine,” voice sounding thick with emotion. He squeezes Jonghyun’s hand and presses his lips firmly against the other’s.

And just before Minho falls asleep with the love of his life curled against his chest, he vaguely registers that things are about to get so much more complicated.


	3. Chapter 3

** Part Three **

Minho isn’t quite sure how to describe the feeling he experiences when he wakes with Jonghyun’s naked body pressing back comfortably against his. The feeling is reminiscent of the feeling he gets when he scores the winning goal for a soccer game or aces a test he didn’t study for. It’s so much more self-satisfying than that though, the content emotions running through him right now are so intense, Minho’s sure he’s never experienced this before.

****

He watches Jonghyun’s flawless face as he sleeps, the way his chest moves up and down with tiny breaths. Minho brushes away a few silver strands of hair that were covering the other’s forehead. Jonghyun is so beautiful and Minho’s so unbelievably happy to be able to call Jonghyun his.

The elder male begins to stir a little, causing Minho to pull his hand back, but he doesn’t move away from Jonghyun’s warmth.

“Were you watching me sleep?” Jonghyun asks groggily.

Minho tries to suppress his smile. “No.”

“Liar.”

“Okay, you caught me.”

Jonghyun inches closer and presses a light kiss to Minho’s chest which is heaving a bit with laughter. “Minho-yah.” Jonghyun uses his index finger to trace small circles around Minho’s left nipple which is _very_ distracting in the brunet’s opinion. “I’m hungry.”

Minho bursts out laughing at what Jonghyun is suggesting he do for him. “Fine hyung, I’ll make us something to eat.”

Jonghyun smiles in triumph as Minho gets out of bed, dressing himself in a pair of discarded boxers on the floor, completely unsure if they’re his or Jonghyun’s – not like it matters anyway. 

It doesn’t take long for Minho to maneuver himself around Jonghyun’s kitchen and prepare sandwiches for them both. When he returns to the elder’s room with said sandwiches and a glass of orange juice, Jonghyun is nowhere to be found. Minho frowns until his ears pick up on the sound of water running. He smirks as he sets the food and beverage onto Jonghyun’s small bedside table.

The pair find themselves quenching their passion yet again, as lukewarm water cascades all around them. Jonghyun’s legs are wrapped tightly around Minho’s waist as the latter’s skin burns from the feel of the elder’s lips moving across his body. 

“Oh God Minho.”

Their pace is slow, languid almost, but satisfying all the same. Minho moans out his hyung’s name as he feels that familiar twisting in his gut. He grunts as he climaxes into Jonghyun’s heat, ungracefully locking lips with the shorter male. Jonghyun comes right after, hand curled around his own member as the water begins to run cold.

After the intensity and shock of their first night spent together passes over, words that Minho dreaded hearing left Jonghyun’s lips.

“We need to talk about this Minho.”

Minho sighs, burying his face into Jonghyun’s shoulder. “Babe please, let’s not do this now.” He hopes that this conversation will be dropped, not really wanting to think about Taemin and the consequences of his and Jonghyun’s actions last night.

“Minho-“

The sudden sound of Minho’s ringtone cuts Jonghyun off much to Minho’s silent relief.

“Hello.”

“MINHO!” It’s Kibum and Minho cringes at the volume of the other’s voice. “You were supposed to be to the airport to pick me up 20 minutes ago. Where the hell are you!?” Minho drags his hand over his face in pure exasperation. Kibum’s return to Korea was remembered up until last night. Now, all he can think about is the little whine Jonghyun makes when he pushes into his-

“Well?! Minho, where the hell are you please tell me you’re on your way.”

“Give me 20 more minutes please, I’ll be there.” Minho ends the call before Kibum can reply.

“Taemin huh?”

Minho winces at the sadness lacing Jonghyun’s tone. “No. It was Kibum. I have to go.” Minho tries to press a kiss to Jonghyun’s lips but the elder shifts his head. Minho sighs, settling for Jonghyun’s cheek instead.

“I’ll come by later, we can talk then okay?”

Jonghyun doesn’t respond.

“I’m sorry Key, I went out last night and got a little drunk and woke up super late this morning.” Minho apologizes the minute he’s in speaking distance of Kibum. The other simply glares at Minho, shoving his suitcase into Minho’s hands and storms off – much like a spoiled child – to Minho’s car.

Minho sighs, knowing that Kibum’s not usually subject to having to wait on people.

“Seriously Kibum, I’m really sorry.” Minho apologizes for the 6th time once they’re making their way through the heart of Seoul. “Are you seriously not going to talk to me or even acknowledge my apology? Come on Bummie _please_ …I can’t say I’m sorry enough.”

Kibum groans at the nickname. “Fine, Minho, I know you’re just gonna keep nagging me until I forgive you so fine! You’re forgiven.”

Minho gives a small smile of triumph, reaching with his right hand to pat Kibum’s cheek. Key swats Minho’s hand away, still looking somewhat annoyed.

“I’m just peeved because I had some things I had to get done today before Tae’s big dance recital tonight. Now I’m falling behind on my schedule.”

Minho’s mouth immediately relaxes. He pales. _Oh shit!_ He totally forgot about that. His eyes lose their focus as he chastises himself. How could he forget?! Taemin’s been talking about this for months for Christ’s sake! Thousands of scouts from professional agencies would be looking for future dancers and choreographers tonight. This would be an important moment in Taemin’s future career as a dancer and it completely slipped Minho’s mind.

“You didn’t forget did you?” Kibum looks at him with narrowed eyes.

Minho forces himself to chuckle, looking at Kibum as if he’d just asked him something stupid. “No, of course not.”

The performing arts center of Taemin’s school is filled to the brim as Minho and Kibum settle into their seats. Kibum complains about how far they are from the stage, frowning when Minho doesn’t agree with him. The younger man is too absorbed with his cell phone to pay attention to his surroundings – checking for mixed calls or messages from Jonghyun. He’d texted the older man earlier to let him know he wasn’t sure he’d be able to come over tonight, but there’s still no response. Minho turns his phone on silent and sinks into his seat as the lights begin to dim.

There are about nine performances before Taemin along with his best friend Jongin, take the stage as the final act. They would be dancing to a mashup of songs, a piece Taemin choreographed himself. Minho’s seen this performance hundreds of times during Taemin’s practice sessions. However he feels a sense of pride watching his boyfriend perform the piece he’s been working on for months in front of hundreds of people.

“Wow, they’re really doing amazing. They haven’t missed a beat.”

Minho nods in silent agreement, watching with proud eyes as the music transitions from dubstep to a lighter less gritty sound. Minho knows the end is nearing. Instead of ending abruptly like most of the other performers tonight, Taemin and Jongin were ending their performance on a graceful note.

Minho smiles as he watches the two men spin on the tips of their toes and then collapse onto the stage as the chillstep song comes to an end. He knows that move was difficult for Taemin, especially since he doesn’t have the extensive history in ballet that Jongin has.

The crowd erupts into a standing ovation, cheers and hollers echoing all around the room. Minho and Kibum stand as well, with Kibum doing enough yelling to rival everyone else in the building.

“He’s gotta get recruited by at least 10 companies after that performance,” Kibum comments as he and Minho wait for Taemin to emerge from the dressing rooms.

“I’m sure he will be.” Minho takes his phone out of his pocket to check the time, and then grows worried as he sees one missed call and 7 text messages from Jonghyun.

 **Texts from Jonghyunnie** ♥♥♥, **2 hours ago:**

**_Hey_ **

****

**_are you still coming over so we can talk?_ **

****

**_minho? it’s getting late and I still haven’t heard from u_ **

****

**_…are u ignoring me?_ **

****

**_im sorry, we don’t have to talk about taemin if u don’t want to_ **

****

**_please don’t be mad at me_ **

**_im sorry_ **

“Are you okay?” Kibum asks as he takes in Minho’s expression.

“I’m fine,” Minho says a little too quickly to be true. He sighs and pockets his phone. “Really, I’m fine,” he rolls his eyes at Kibum’s disbelieving look.

Taemin joins them a minute later. He’s freshly showered and all smiles as Kibum reigns down the praises.

“Oh my God Tae that was fantastic! I’ve known you for almost eight years and I didn’t even know you could move like that!”

Minho gives a tight lipped smile when Taemin turns to him. “You knocked them dead babe,” he says as he places a kiss on Taemin’s cheek.

Taemin giggles in response while Minho wraps an arm around his waist.

“Thanks guys. We’re having a small get together at Jongin’s house. You guys are coming right.”

“Um I-“

“Of course we are,” Kibum cuts Minho off.

“Excuse me.”

The three men look to the older man who addresses them.

“Are you Mr. Lee Taemin?” The man looks at Taemin.

Taemin nods and slips out of Minho’s grasp.

“That performance you and your colleague gave tonight was amazing. If you don’t mind, can I speak to you in private?”

“Sure.”

“So, you wanna head straight to the party or you wanna go home and change first?”

Minho glances sideways at Kibum. “I think you should head to the party with Tae. I’ve got something to do first.”

Kibum narrows his eyes. “Does this have something to do with the text messages you were reading earlier.”  
  


Minho sighs. “No. Something just came up that I need to take care of first.”

Taemin comes practically skipping to the pair, with a huge smile plastered on his face.

“Good news I presume…” Kibum murmurs.

“You guys, that man is the head of recruitment for a choreographing company and he wants me and Jongin to come and work with them!”

“Oh my God that’s amazing Tae,” Kibum squeezes the younger man tight. “Did you already accept?”

“No, he said to just think about it for now. Jongin and I are gonna go to his company later on this week and talk about all the details.”

Minho ruffles Taemin’s hair. “I’m so proud of you.”

Taemin blushes hotly. “Jongin’s bringing his car around front so we can get going.”

Minho frowns. “About that…there’s something I have to go and do first.”

“Oh.”

Guilt wells up in Minho as he sees Taemin’s smile replaced with sheer disappointment.

“I’ll be there don’t worry, I just gotta go take care of this thing. Kibum will ride with you guys.” Minho gives Taemin a kiss on the cheek for good measure, and nods to Kibum who gives him a scathing look.

He’s barely out of earshot when Kibum mumbles, “ _How dodgy_.”

“Hyung, open up, it’s freezing out here.” Minho knocks on Jonghyun’s door for the fourth time. It’s just past ten, he didn’t expect Jonghyun to go to bed so early. He grabs his phone and opens up his chat log with Jonghyun just as the older man opens the door.

Jonghyun is dressed in only boxers with his hair dripping wet, which Minho assumes is from a recent shower.

“Minho?” Jonghyun pulls the younger man inside and wraps his arms tightly around him. “I thought you weren’t coming I-I thought you were mad at me. I’m sorry.”

Minho chuckles at how panicked Jonghyun sounds. He pulls away to kiss the shorter man. “It’s okay baby, I wasn’t mad.”

“Where were you tonight?”

“T-Tae had a dance recital…”

“Oh.” Jonghyun gives Minho that same disappointed look Taemin gave him earlier. But then Jonghyun kisses him with such passion that Minho forgets all about Taemin. His head feels light, like he might just float away. “Let’s not talk about him. Not now at least.”

Minho smiles as Jonghyun leads him to the couch in his living room and begins an assault on his neck.

“I missed you.”

“I m-missed you too baby, but I _ahh…_ can’t stay.”

Jonghyun pouts as he untucks Minho’s dress shirt from his pants and begins unbuttoning it.

Minho groans as Jonghyun’s lips latch onto his chest. He feels Jonghyun’s finger toying with the button on his slacks and all his resolve disappears. He’s unable to tell Jonghyun to stop now.

“I’ve wanted to do this from last night,” Jonghyun breathes as he pulls Minho’s cock out into the warm air of his heated apartment.

Minho lets out the most unmanly whimper as Jonghyun takes him into his mouth, teasing at first, but growing more and more firm and enthusiastic as time draws on.

“Fuck hyung,” Minho moans as Jonghyun pumps him with his hand before taking him into his mouth again. He’s got his head tilted back, teeth digging into his lower lip as his fingers dig into the cushions.

Jonghyun lets him out of his mouth again with an obscene pop. “You can grab onto my hair, I know you want to.”

Minho bites his lip and grabs onto Jonghyun’s silver locks. He tugs lightly, helping guide the movements of Jonghyun’s head up and down his cock. “B-Baby, you’re s-so good,” Minho moans as Jonghyun’s tongue works wonders up and down his shaft.

Minho’s words spur Jonghyun to suck Minho harder until the younger man becomes a whimpering mess beneath him.

“B-Babe I-I’m gonna – f-fuck, I’m gonna cum,” Minho moans out before coming suddenly.

He half expected Jonghyun to gag and spit it out – but when Minho sees the bobbing of Jonghyun’s adam’s apple, he looks at him with blown pupils.

Jonghyun pulls off of Minho’s cock with a smile. “Was it good?”

All Minho can do is nod, unable to form words just yet.

“Good.” Jonghyun pecks Minho’s lips and pulls his underwear and pants back up for him. He sits down next to Minho and laces their fingers together. “I guess I understand if you have to leave…but can you stay with me for a bit, at least until I fall asleep?”

Minho can’t possibly say no – not to Jonghyun.

Minho ends up staying longer than a bit and much longer than after Jonghyun falls asleep. How could he leave with Jonghyun snuggled onto his chest and looking so damn peaceful in his embrace? Minho sighs when he hears his phone vibrate on the nightstand for what he thinks is the 10th time that night – the light from it casting a dim glow in the room. He reaches over and turns it off, before he pecks Jonghyun’s forehead and closes his eyes. He’ll just deal with everything tomorrow.

“Where were you last night?” Taemin asks as soon as Minho lets him into his apartment. “Key hyung and I called and texted you a bunch of times and you didn’t answer anything. We were worried Minho!”

Minho sighs. “Something came up Tae…”

“What do you mean something came up?! Something so important that you missed the after party of one of the most important nights in my life? It couldn’t wait?”

Minho runs a hand through his hair. “I’m not about to fight with you Taemin. Something important came up that I had to deal with. I’m sorry that it took so long and I missed the party and I’m sorry I didn’t call and let you know I was okay. M-My phone was on low battery and then it died,” Minho lies.

Taemin sighs. “I j-just really wanted you to be there Minho. I wanted to celebrate my achievements with you. And I hardly even talked to you last night. I saw you for two seconds and then you were gone.”

Minho feels guilt rise up in him. “I’m sorry baby. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“O-Okay.” Taemin leans forward and presses a gentle kiss to Minho’s lips. Minho forces himself to kiss Taemin back – mind registering how wrong this is, considering that he just kissed Jonghyun goodbye this morning. When Taemin tries to deepen the kiss, Minho pulls away.

“What’s wrong?” Taemin looks at him confused.

“Nothing baby,” Minho forces a smile. “I’m just tired.”

“Oh.”

Minho pretends he doesn’t hear the feeling of rejection in Taemin’s voice.

On Thursday after his last final, Minho and a few of his soccer teammates decide to have a little scrimmage before they part ways for the break. Minho invites Jonghyun to come and watch, eager to show him how much he’s improved since the last time Jonghyun watched him play soccer.

Jonghyun gives Minho a big wave when he arrives and Minho gives him an even bigger one back. He smiles at how cute Jonghyun looks in his oversized jacket, along with a beanie on his head.

“Who’s that?” Jihan – one of Minho’s teammates – asks.

“He’s a close friend of mine,” Minho says as he stares at Jonghyun with a smile.

“He’s cute.”

The smile disappears off of Minho’s face as he looks at Jihan. “He’s taken,” Minho says with more force than he’d intended.

“Woah man, just saying he’s cute. Never said I wanted to date the guy.” Jihan pats him on the back. “You shouldn’t care anyway, aren’t you in a relationship with Taemin?”

Minho groans and grits his teeth. “Let’s just start the game.”

Minho’s team ends up beating the others 3-1 by the time it starts getting dark. He runs over to where Jonghyun’s sitting on the bleachers, clapping for him. “So Jonghyun hyung, what did you think?”

Jonghyun smiles at him. “You were really good. You’re like a pro now,” Jonghyun says honestly. “But I must say it was hard to focus watching you run up and down the field in those shorts of yours. It was pretty sexy.”

Minho blushes. “Oh really?”

“Yeah.”

Minho grins. “Let’s go back to your place.” 

Minho takes a quick shower at Jonghyun’s apartment and borrows some of his clothes – they’re a little tight on him but he doesn’t mind that much.

“Hey Min…which one do you like more?” Jonghyun holds up two shirts, a red plaid one, and a cream coloured one.

Minho looks at both shirts and eyes Jonghyun. “The red one. Red is your colour hyung.”

Jonghyun smiles softly. “Okay, red it is,” he says before taking the shirts back to his room.

When he comes back and plops down next to Minho, Minho looks at him strangely. “Why are you asking for my opinion on clothes? You got a date?”

Jonghyun giggles. “Maybe.”

Minho frowns. “Don’t say things like that hyung, you’ll make me jealous.”

The grin falls off of Jonghyun’s face. He scoots away from Minho. “It was a joke Minho, and you’re not exactly in the position to be possessive don’t you think?”

Minho finds out on Saturday why Jonghyun had asked for his opinion on his clothes. It’s his 21st birthday and Kibum had somehow managed to plan an entire party without Minho knowing anything of it. It’s not a huge party but there are a nice number of Minho’s friends and family in attendance. The music is lively and whichever catering company Kibum hired did an amazing job. Jonghyun arrives about an hour into the party, dressed in the same plaid shirt he’d shown Minho the other night and a pair of ripped black jeans. Minho’s eyes don’t leave Jonghyun’s body the minute he spots him, even though Taemin’s body is pressed tightly against his as they dance in the middle of the living room of Kibum’s apartment.

He watches as Jonghyun converses with Kibum and then Jinki before sitting idly in a corner and watching everything going on around him. Their eyes lock suddenly and Minho freezes. He starts gently prying Taemin’s body away from his.

“I’m staying over at your place tonight…” Taemin whispers suggestively in Minho’s ear.

“Y-Yeah sure,” Minho says absentmindedly before completely letting go of Taemin. “I’m gonna go say hi to Jonghyun hyung okay.” He leaves before Taemin can respond and goes over to where Jonghyun’s sitting.

Jonghyun looks up at him with a small smile. “Happy Birthday Min.”

Minho smiles. “Thanks hyung.” He leans down to whisper in Jonghyun’s ear, “Come with me next door, to my apartment,” he says before leaving.

“This is the first time I’ve been in your place since I got back,” Jonghyun says as Minho closes the door behind them.

“Yeah…Do you like it?”

“It’s cozy,” Jonghyun says.

Minho smiles softly and sits next to Jonghyun on the couch. He brushes a few stray strands of hair away from Jonghyun’s forehead before leaning in for a kiss.

Jonghyun gently pushes Minho back by his chest. “Are you really going to try and kiss me, after you’ve been dancing with your boyfriend all night?” Jonghyun asks with a sense of bitterness lacing his words.

Minho sighs. “Jjong…you know…i-it…it’s complicated.”

Jonghyun shakes his head. “It’s not right Minho. Y-You can’t date me and him. You need to break up with him…”

Minho looks at Jonghyun with sullen eyes.

“O-Or stop seeing me.”

Minho’s eyes widen. “No. I’m not going to stop seeing you Jonghyun. I just got you. I-I’ve been in love with you for years…”

“Then you know what you need to do.”

Minho looks away from Jonghyun and bites his lower lip. “I feel like shit because of this hyung,” he whispers, to himself almost. 

Jonghyun’s eyes soften. “I’m sorry Minho. It’s your birthday, you should be celebrating instead of talking about this.” Jonghyun reaches out to gently comb his fingers through Minho’s hair. “I got you something.”

Minho looks back at Jonghyun. “You did?”

He gives him a small smile and a nod. Jonghyun passes Minho a small gift bag he’d brought with him.

Minho takes it and can’t help the small smile that grows on his face, knowing that Jonghyun had bought him something. He opens the bag and pulls out a picture frame, encasing a drawing of his much younger self. “W-What’s this?”

“It’s a drawing I did of you back when we were teens. I think it was then I started realizing I had feelings for you,” Jonghyun says quietly. “I kept it with me all this time but I think you should have it.”

Minho rubs his thumb over the drawing, in awe at the amount of detail put into it. “I-It’s beautiful hyung. Thank you.”

“I have another gift for you too…”

Minho turns to face him and before he can ask what it is, Jonghyun’s pink plump lips are pressed softly against his. Minho closes his eyes and melts into the kiss. He rests the drawing down at his side and cups Jonghyun’s face.

Jonghyun pulls back briefly to whisper “I love you,” against Minho’s lips before kissing him deeply.

Minho kisses Jonghyun back just as deeply. He presses Jonghyun’s body close to his before sliding a wet tongue into Jonghyun’s warm mouth. Minho receives a low moan in response to his actions and it just spurs him on. He starts kissing Jonghyun more forcefully, trying to pour all his passion and desire for him into the kiss.

A sudden knock on the door forces them to separate.

Minho pulls back from Jonghyun’s lips and looks at his apartment door with a sigh. He reluctantly gets up to answer it.

“So this is where you snuck off to,” Kibum says when Minho cracks the doorway. “Are you seriously trying to ditch your own party?”

Minho chuckles. “I just needed a breather Bummie. I’ll be back over in a few minutes.”

“No no no breathing time is over, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. It’s time to cut your cake.”

Minho inwardly groans. “I’m coming over right now Kibum I promise. It can wait five more minutes.”

“Minho. Get your ass back over to YOUR birthday party right now. And have you seen Jonghyun? Taemin said that you were gonna go and say ‘Hi’ to him before you disappeared to here.”

“U-Uh,” Minho starts.

Jonghyun stands and moves towards the door. “I-I’m here. I w-wanted Minho to show me his apartment,” he says, voice still sounding a bit shaky after the kiss. “I haven’t gotten any chances to visit yet.”

Kibum’s eyes flicker from Minho to Jonghyun closely, before he smiles. “Well it’s nothing special, you can come back and check it out later” he says before pulling them both back along to his apartment. “Now come, cake time.”

Minho doesn’t get the chance to take Jonghyun back to his apartment later, nor does he get the chance to sneak in a kiss or even a friendly dance. Once he’d gone back to the party and cut and shared out his birthday cake, Taemin latched onto him like a parasite. Minho couldn’t even go to the bathroom without the younger man waiting on him by the door. In the end when the party dwindled down, Minho settled for a quick hug with Jonghyun – but made sure to whisper in his ear that he’d see him in the upcoming week and they could continue their kiss. Jonghyun left with a slight blush on his face and after seeing that Minho made peace with the fact that he didn’t get to kiss him goodbye.

“Minho, let’s go back to your place. Key hyung said not to worry about the mess,” Taemin says while clutching onto Minho’s arm.

“You’re sleeping over tonight?”

Taemin tilts his head and looks up at Minho. “I told you this…earlier.”

“O-Oh,” Minho says. “Y-Yeah, you did. Sorry. Let’s go.”

Minho feels awkward when he and Taemin get undressed together. Taemin takes his time, trying to be sexy. Birthday sex is obviously on his mind.

Minho wants to tell him to stop, to put his clothes back on but he can’t bring himself to, not when Taemin looks so determined.

It’s when Taemin gently pushes Minho onto the bed and starts straddling him that Minho realizes he can’t do this. He presses a hand to Taemin’s bare chest. “Stop…”

Taemin looks at him confused. “What do you mean ‘stop’?”

Minho looks away from him and sighs. “I mean stop. I don’t want to have sex. I don’t feel too up for it baby…”

“You’ve never refused sex before?”

Minho bites his lip. “I don’t feel well,” he lies.

Taemin tilts his head. “I don’t understand.” He looks down at Minho’s crotch and then looks back up at him with watery eyes. “O-Oh…you’re not even hard…?”

“It’s not you Tae,” Minho says. “It’s just I don’t feel well, I drank too much. You know alcohol makes me sleepy,” Minho lies again, knowing that he only had two cups tonight.

“Yeah…okay, sorry,” Taemin says as he gets off of Minho’s lap. He gets under the covers and lays down with his back facing Minho.

Minho sighs as he looks at Taemin’s back, feeling guilty.

He turns away from him, mind overflowing with various thought before he falls asleep.

The next morning is awkward as they eat breakfast together. Taemin does not make much eye contact with Minho.

“…So…” Minho clears his throat. “D-Do you wanna do anything today…baby?” Minho asks.

Taemin looks up at him and then shakes his head. “I can’t. I needa meet with Jongin to discuss some stuff about our choreography deal.”

“Oh okay,” Minho says quietly. He sips at his orange juice.

“I’m gonna get going,” Taemin says when he finishes eating. He puts his plate in the sink and grabs his things.

“Okay,” Minho says. “I’ll see you later?” Minho looks up at Taemin, expecting the man to give him a kiss before he departs.   
  


“Yeah, later,” Taemin says before leaving.

“Oh fuck,” Jonghyun gasps as Minho strokes deep inside of him.

Minho’s got him bent over his work desk as they’d been too impatient to move to Jonghyun’s bedroom when Minho came over.

“A-Ah hyung…s-so tight,” Minho pants against Jonghyun’s neck. “I-I’m so close,” he groans.

“M-Me too,” Jonghyun whimpers as he pumps his dick in tune with Minho’s thrusts.

Minho cries out when he finally climaxes inside of Jonghyun, with the man following with his own cries not too long after.

“Oh shit,” Jonghyun says as he gets a good look at Minho’s neck in the shower. “I marked you.”

Minho touches the mark on his neck and then shrugs.

Jonghyun bites his lip nervously. “I’m sorry, it’s really visible Min. I c-can cover it for you with makeup.”

“Baby it’s fine, no need to cover it.”

“But what about Ta-“

“Shh, we’re not talking about him remember?” Minho gives Jonghyun a kiss on the cheek. “Now come on, let’s rinse off.”

Minho’s never been particularly religious, finding thoughts of a higher deity rather silly. But that doesn’t stop him from celebrating Christmas with his family. The holiday itself has loss much of its true intent, rather becoming capitalism’s grand finale every year. Despite being very aware of this fact, Minho finds himself in front of his childhood home with gifts for his parents and brother tucked under his arm.

He knocks on the front door while Taemin stands beside him.

“Hello boys,” Minho’s mother answers the door with a smile. She pulls Minho in for a hug and smiles warmly at Taemin.

“Taemin, it’s nice to see you again.” She’d met Taemin in Minho’s apartment early on in their relationship when she’d made an impromptu visit to surprise her son.

“It’s nice to see you again too Mrs. Choi,” Taemin says politely.

“Come on in boys, the Kims are already here.”

Minho follows behind his mother visibly confused. “The Kims? They’re having Christmas dinner with us?”

“Yes, it was a last-minute decision. Sodam just brought over their dishes.”

Minho inwardly sighs. Jonghyun had mentioned spending Christmas with his mother and sister but Minho had no idea that their parents would decide to have dinner together. He was hoping to avoid being around both Jonghyun and Taemin again.

“Taemin, you know Jonghyun don’t you? He’s Minho’s best friend,” Mrs. Choi says when they finally reach the dining room. 

“We’ve met,” Taemin says. “Hey Jonghyun-hyung. Merry Christmas.”

Jonghyun looks at Minho and Taemin standing near the doorway wearing their matching sweaters and then looks down at the table. “Merry Christmas,” he says quietly.

Minho finds that he can look everywhere but Jonghyun’s eyes.

“Are you boys ready to eat?” Mrs. Choi asks happily.

They sit around the large dining table, Minho between his brother and Taemin. Jonghyun switched seats with his sister a few minutes after Minho and Taemin arrived. Minho would have to crane his neck if he wanted to catch a glimpse of him.

Minho feels but isn’t sure if he looks visibly uncomfortable throughout the entire dinner. With his parents asking questions about his relationship with Taemin while simultaneously reminiscing over how he and Jonghyun were attached to the hip growing up, Minho doesn’t know which one is worse. 

“So, how long have you two been dating?” Mrs. Kim asks Minho and Taemin halfway throughout the dinner.

“O-Oh um around six months,” Minho says.

Taemin gently kicks him under the table. “It’s been eight hyung.”

Minho smiles sheepishly, slightly embarrassed. “Time flies. I forget sometimes.” The table takes pity on him as the elders laugh at his statement.

“It’s too early to be forgetting dates little brother,” Minseok says. “Save that for when you’re married,” he says with a nudge to Minho’s elbow.

Minho rolls his eyes, knowing his brother wanted to get a rise out of him.

“What about you Jonghyun?” Minseok directs his question down the table.

“What about me?” Jonghyun asks.

“You’re the only single young adult at this table.” Sodam had brought her boyfriend along and Minseok’s girlfriend was also gracing the Chois with her presence. “Any girlfriend back in Japan?”

Minho visibly stiffens.

Jonghyun snorts. “No. I haven’t had any luck dating since I’ve been back yet either.”

“Oh?” Minseok looks at Minho then back down at Jonghyun. “You’ve been looking?”

“Yeah,” Jonghyun says.

Minho’s face starts to feel hot. He knows he has no right to feel like this but Jonghyun’s words _hurt_.

Minseok rests a hand on Minho’s knee and smiles knowingly. “The least you could do is play wingman for Jjongie.”

Minho pushes his brother’s hand off and grits his teeth at him. “Stop it,” he whispers.

“Who wants dessert?” Minho’s mom asks.

Minho’s brother corners him outside the upstairs bathroom after everyone’s finished eating dinner.

“So. I’ll give you a chance to come clean,” Minseok says.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Minho says and pushes past him.

Minseok grabs onto his arm. “I know something is going on between you and Jonghyun,” Minseok says loudly.

“Shh!” Minho demands and pushes his brother into his old bedroom. “What the hell are you talking about hyung,” Minho says and closes the door behind them, a nervous feeling rising from the pit of his gut. “There’s nothing going on.”

“Oh, come off it Minho,” Minseok says. “I’ve known since you were kids that you had a crush on him. Now you show up here with your boyfriend and you can’t even look Jonghyun in the eye.”

Minho shakes his head. “That’s not true. You know nothing.”  
  


Minseok folds his arms. “You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?”

Minho’s eyes widen. “W-What…N-No!”

“Fuck, Minho!” Minseok says. “Does Taemin know? Wait of course he doesn’t know, he’s fucking oblivious to it all isn’t he?”

Minho sighs heavily. “Y-You can’t say anything hyung. I’m going to tell him eventually.”

“E-Eventually?” Minseok asks, eyes wide in disbelief. “Minho what the fuck? That’s not right. None of this is right. Y-You’re cheating.”

“Lower your voice!” Minho shouts back at him. “I n-never meant for this to happen hyung,” he says in hushed tones. “J-Jonghyun came back home and all the feelings I thought were buried just rushed to the surface again. I don’t want to hurt him or Taemin. I promise I’m not a bad person,” Minho says as tears well in his eyes.

His older brother sighs heavily and rests an arm on Minho’s shoulder. “D-Don’t cry. But just…you know this is wrong. And you know what you need to do to fix it.”

Minseok pats Minho’s shoulder before exiting the bedroom.

When Minho and Taemin are on their way back to Minho’s apartment, Taemin asks him a question.   
  


“Is something going on between you and Jonghyun-hyung?”

Minho’s hands grow rigid on the steering wheel. “W-What do you mean?” He asks nervously.

“I heard your hyung ask you that.”

“Oh? O-Oh…Um there’s nothing going on,” Minho rambles. “Hyung was just wondering why we weren’t talking much at dinner,” Minho lies.

The car grows quiet. Minho slowly relaxes his grip on the steering wheel.

“D-Did you hear anything else?” He asks softly.

“Oh no. That’s all I heard,” Taemin quickly replies.

“Okay.”

“Jonghyun-hyung is straight right?” the younger man asks. “You said he was dating a girl when you guys were younger?”

“…H-He’s,” Minho doesn’t really know. “I don’t t-think he has a preference. He’s mostly dated girls but he’s dated guys too…”

Taemin hums and turns to look out of the window.

“Why are you asking?”

“Oh no reason. I was thinking of setting him up with one of my friends. Her name is Soojung and she’s really pretty.”

“Oh,” Minho says. He’s seen pictures of Soojung before. She is indeed pretty. “Y-You think they’d b-be a good match?” Minho prays to that deity he barely believes in that Taemin doesn’t notice the quiver in his voice.

Taemin shrugs. “I think they’d be a great match. They’d look really good together. But you do know him better, so I figured you’d have an idea.”

Minho shakes his head, not liking the thought of that at all. “I don’t think she’s what hyung is looking for right now,” he says a bit firmer than necessary.

Taemin stares at him for a few seconds and then looks back out the window. “Well, it was only a suggestion.”

“What are you doing here?” Jonghyun asks as Minho stands on his doorstep two days later.

Minho frowns at him. “Is something wrong? I tried to call you and you didn’t answer.”

Jonghyun steps aside and lets him into the apartment. “Oh no, nothing’s wrong. Not thinking about the play by play I got of you and Taemin’s relationship the other day.” He shuts the door behind Minho louder than necessary.

Minho sighs. “H-Hyung…you know…it’s-“

“Complicated?” Jonghyun asks. “How long is it going to be complicated Minho?”

“Hyung…”

Jonghyun rubs his hand over his face in exasperation. “Why are you here Minho?”

Minho bites his lip. “I…I got you a present.”

“O-Oh,” Jonghyun says quietly. “I d-didn’t get you anything…”

Minho hands him the small box with a smile. “That’s okay. We’ve never really celebrated Christmas. Besides your birthday present was enough.”

“What is it?” The blonde asks curiously.

“Open it and see.”

Jonghyun unties the pink bow on the box and discards the wrapping. He opens it to find a small silver ring – not small enough to fit on his ring finger, but rather appearing to be the width of his thumb.

“Is this a thumb ring?” Jonghun inquires.

Minho raises his hand to show a matching one. “Yeah.”

Jonghyun’s mouth falls open in surprise. “M-Minho, I…I can’t wear this. Not if you’re wearing one too. It’s too obvious.”

Minho shakes his head. “No, these are really popular right now. People won’t notice it hyung. Besides, don’t you like it?”

“O-Of course I do.” Jonghyun slides the ring onto his thumb. “P-Perfect fit…”

“I thought it would be,” Minho says.

Jonghyun looks up at him with a wobbly smile. “T-Thank you Minho.” He gets on his tippy toes and presses a kiss to Minho’s lips.

Minho kisses him back deeply. “I love you,” he whispers against Jonghyun’s lips.

“I love you too,” Jonghyun replies after a slight pause.

Minho pulls Jonghyun into a tight hug. “I-I’m sorry hyung. Sorry that I haven’t addressed everything yet. I p-promise I will, soon.”

Minho feels Jonghyun sigh against his neck. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep Minho.”

Minho pulls back, looking slightly offended. “I will keep this promise hyung. I l-lo-“

Jonghyun shuts him up with a harsh kiss, teeth digging into Minho’s lip. Minho yelps in surprise but quickly recovers, kissing Jonghyun back just as passionately. He wraps his arms around Jonghyun’s tiny waist and lifts him up against the wall. Minho begins kissing Jonghyun’s neck, working on the spots he knows the other likes. The shorter man cries out as Minho leaves light marks along his collarbone. Minho carries Jonghyun to his bedroom and deposits him onto the bed, pulling off the elder’s shirt as soon as his back touches the mattress.

He pulls his own shirt over his head when a firm hand touches his chest.

“Can we just cuddle tonight,” Jonghyun says quietly, unable to make eye contact.

Minho pulls his shirt back on. “O-Of course baby. Of course. Do you want to be held?”

Jonghyun nods, pulling his own shirt back on and shifting onto his side.

Minho spoons him from behind, watching as the man twists the ring around his thumb but says nothing.

New Years Eve finds them at Jinki’s restaurant, sitting around a table filled with various dishes and lots of beer.

Kibum’s a bit tipsy, his tolerance for beer being very low. Minho rolls his eyes as Kibum entertains the group with his forced acts of cuteness – committed all out of spite because he knows Minho hates it. Taemin records key with an amused smile on his face. He had plopped down, right next to Jonghyun when they’d arrived, forcing Minho to sit to the left of him.

“This will be perfect blackmail material,” Taemin says with a wicked grin as he finishes recording.

Those words seem to sober Kibum up. “You wouldn’t dare! I have a public image.”

Taemin laughs at him. “Just be a good hyung and you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

“Any goals for the new year?” Jinki asks at quarter to twelve.

Kibum mumbles something about settling down, Taemin says he wants to work with foreign choreographers and Jonghyun plans to register more than ten songs.

Minho remains silent as the conversation quickly shifts to something else. He has no idea what the new year has in store for him especially with such a dark secret looming above his head.

“So Jonghyun-hyung,” Taemin says. “Are you still looking to date someone?”

Minho snaps out of his self-reflection.

“Oh um…kinda?” Jonghyun replies.

“Kinda?” Kibum chimes in. “Have you gotten laid since you moved back home?”

Jonghyun visibly squirms.

“Bum!” Minho shouts. “Don’t you think that’s a little personal.”

“What? We’re all friends here. We’re always talking about each other’s sex lives.”

Minho frowns. Kibum’s the one that does most of the talking in those conversations.

“Anyway,” Taemin practically shoves his phone in Jonghyun’s face. “This is my friend Soojung, she’s super nice and is into music too. I thought you two would be a good match.”

“O-Oh really?” Jonghyun nervously glances at Minho.

“Yeah. I could give her your number if you’d like. I think you’ll hit it off really well. She gives off a cold vibe at first but she’s really down to earth.”

Jonghyun stammers, “O-Oh um…”

Minho grits his teeth. “Tae…don’t you think you’re putting a bit of pressure on Jjong right now? He’s never even met her.”

Taemin looks back at Minho. “Jonghyun can answer for himself. Besides most people text before meeting each other these days anyway.” Taemin turns back to Jonghyun. “What do you say?”

Minho’s eyes burn at the back of Taemin’s head.

“Um sure,” Jonghyun relents. “You can give her my number.”

“Great. I think you’ll really hit it off, oh um,” Taemin looks down at Jonghyun’s hand. “Nice thumb ring.”

Jonghyun touches it instinctively. “Oh yeah thanks.”

“It looks just like the one Minho started wearing recently.”

Kibum perks up. “Lemme see.” He grabs Jonghyun’s hand and examines the ring. He looks back to Minho’s to compare but Minho’s fingers are bare.

“I’m not wearing my ring,” Minho says.

“But I have a picture,” Taemin adds in. He hands his phone to Kibum.

Kibum glances at the ring on Minho’s thumb in the photo and the one on Jonghyun’s actual thumb. “They look pretty identical to me.”

“O-Oh,” Jonghyun chuckles nervously. “What a coincidence.”

Taemin narrows his eyes. “Yeah…a coincidence. Where’d you get yours Jonghyun-hyung?”

“Huh?” Jonghyun looks up at Minho as if he’s asking for help.

“Where’d you buy the ring?” Taemin rewords his question.

“Oh, I have no idea. My sister bought it for me. It was a gift,” he lies with a chuckle.

“Hmm,” Taemin hums and looks back at his photo of Minho.

Minho doesn’t share a new year’s kiss with Taemin or Jonghyun that night.

Minho knows what he’s doing is selfish. Cheating is something he always frowned upon, hating when it was a plot point in a movie and shunning the topic whenever his friends brought it up. But now that he’s in this current predicament, he finds himself actually understanding _why_ people do it.

It’s not right.

But is it wrong?

He loves Jonghyun with his entire being. But at some point, in his and Taemin’s now eight-month long relationship, he was sure that he was love with him too. He doesn’t want to hurt the younger man’s feelings.

He finds himself unable to do anything while Taemin and Jonghyun both begin pulling away from him. It’s as if there’s rope attached to both of his hands. But instead of being pulled in either direction he remains set in place while Jonghyun and Taemin pull farther and farther away.

It all comes to a head in the new year.

Kibum confronts him in his apartment early February – much like he’d done when Minho had forgotten his and Taemin’s six-month anniversary. 

“I know what you’re doing Minho,” Kibum says, sounding very much like he knows something that Minho doesn’t.

Minho looks visibly perturbed. “What are you talking about Kibum?”

“I know you’ve been cheating on Taemin.”

“W-What?” Minho says all too quickly. “That’s not true.”  
  


“Oh? So you haven’t been sneaking around with Jonghyun behind Taemin’s back?”

Minho opens his mouth and then closes it sharply. “…J-Jonghyun is my best friend Kibum. I can’t spend time with him now?”

“Oh please,” Kibum says. “Taemin told me you haven’t touched him in weeks. He’s seen the marks you know.”

“I don’t have any marks.”

“Yeah cause now Jonghyun’s caught a clue and has stopped fooling around with you too.”

Minho’s anger flares at the harsh truth behind that statement. “You need to leave,” Minho says, his tone matching the chill of the air outside.

Kibum heads towards the door. “Just for the record, we’re not friends anymore. I’m not going to be friends with a cheater! You broke Taemin’s heart Minho and I’ll never forgive you for that!” He slams the door as he exits.

Minho stares at the door for what feels like hours after Kibum leaves.

Hours later he finds himself at Orgel, in desperate need to see Jonghyun. The older man had ignored his texts and calls and when Minho had pulled up to his apartment complex, Jonghyun’s car was nowhere to be seen. The club was the only place Minho figured he would be.

But Jonghyun isn’t alone.

Minho watches as the man walks off the stage after his set and heads to a small table in front where a pretty blond claps enthusiastically for him.

Minho feels his heart crumble in his chest, the sight far too similar of an experience he’d repressed from his teenage years.

Before he can stop himself, he’s already crossed over to the table with fire in his eyes.

To say Jonghyun is startled to see him would be an understatement. The older man’s eyes practically bulge out of his sockets. “M-Minho, w-what are you doing here?”

“W-Who is she?” Minho asks bluntly.

Jonghyun looks at the girl apologetically, before grabbing Minho’s arm roughly and tugging him outside.

“What are you doing here Minho?” He asks in hushed tones.

A group of bystanders look at them suspiciously. Minho doesn’t care.

“Who’s the girl hyung?! Why’s she looking at you like that?”

Jonghyun looks away from him with guilt etched on his face.

“H-Hyung. Who is she?”

“She’s my date!” Jonghyun says. “And now she probably won’t go out with me again because you were so rude in there.”

Minho’s so focused on the word _date_ that it takes him a few extra seconds to process the remainder of what Jonghyun had said.

“Hyung…w-what do you mean she’s your date?! G-Go out with you again? W-What about us?”

Jonghyun sighs heavily. “M-Minho. There’s no us! There can’t be a us! I can’t just be your side piece, your mistress. And Taemin deserves better. You know that.”

Minho feels his heart deflate in his chest. “S-So w-what? You’re giving up on me? Are you going to act like it’s all my fault! Like I was cheating on Taemin by myself?!” He says angrily.

Jonghyun looks visibly hurt by his words. “I will not be complicit in that anymore. I-I’m done Minho. I don’t feel good about myself knowing I’m ruining someone else’s relationship.”

“I-It’s not a relationship anymore. T-Taemin…h-he knows.”

Jonghyun raises an eyebrow. “He knows?”

“Y-Yeah. He knows…It’s not a thing anymore.”

“So, you came clean to him? You told him everything?”

Minho doesn’t answer.

Jonghyun scoffs. “…I…I can’t do this anymore Minho. Even if you had ended things with Taemin, I would’ve still felt like shit about it. I c-can’t have that on my conscience more than it already is. I-I’m going back to Taeyeon. At the very least, I deserve someone that’ll be with just me.” He wipes away the tears gathered in the corners of his eyes before heading back into the club.

Minho feels numb as his car drives him home. Cause surely, he isn’t driving, not when he feels like his heart’s been stepped on and his mind is playing a loop of Jonghyun’s retreating form. He makes the short trek from the parking lot to his apartment building and gets in the elevator. It takes severe willpower to not knock on Kibum’s door and go to him for comfort like he’s done so many times in the past. Instead he opens the door to his apartment and sees Taemin sitting on his couch.

“Hey,” Taemin says.

Minho wipes his hand over his face, trying to remove evidence of tear tracks and heartache.

“W-What are you doing here Tae. How’d you get in?”

Taemin shakes his head with a mirthless laugh. “You gave me a key, awhile ago.”

Minho crosses over to the kitchen to pour himself a much-needed drink. “Oh…yeah right.” He takes a swig of the amber liquid, feeling uncomfortable as the silence grows thick between them. 

“So-“ Taemin starts.

“I-I’ve been cheating on you with Jonghyun,” Minho blurts in one breath.

Taemin closes his mouth.

He doesn’t know what he expects from Taemin. Shock? Sadness? Anger? Rather, Taemin looks as if he knows.

“I know,” Taemin says after a few minutes. “I’ve known since Christmas.”

Minho rests down his glass. “…Oh.”

“I eavesdropped on you and your hyung’s conversation. So, yeah I knew.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I wanted to pretend like it wasn’t true. But then it became too apparent to ignore. The way you’d disappear for hours on end, refuse to have sex with me, the marks I didn’t give you, the matching thumb rings,” Taemin scoffs. “Your face would light up every time you saw Jonghyun. It was obvious from the beginning that something was going on between you two and I didn’t want to believe it.”

Minho fidgets uncomfortably. “…Why tell me this now?”

“Because Jonghyun told me everything. Said he felt like such a huge asshole for getting between you and me.”

Minho swallows. No wonder Jonghyun knew he was lying when he said his relationship with Taemin was no more. “Are you upset with him? Please don’t be it’s not his fault.”

Taemin laughs. “Fuck, I just admitted that I know you’ve been cheating on me and still your only concern is Jonghyun. Wow Minho. I didn’t have a chance, did I?”

Minho frowns.

“The moment Jonghyun moved back here. I-It was all over for us wasn’t it?”

Minho can’t bring himself to answer that question. “I…I didn’t want to hurt you Taemin. I-“

“Bullshit. Don’t you think getting cheated on would hurt me more than you just being fucking upfront with me from the beginning?” Taemin asks. “You’re a selfish asshole. You only cared about what _you_ wanted. You didn’t give a shit about my feelings and you got Jonghyun in the middle of it too. And you did hurt me, no matter how much you claim you didn’t want to, you hurt me. You hurt me so fucking much.”

“T-Tae I-I…”

“And I don’t think anything you say can erase that hurt.”

Minho swallows heavily, feeling like anything he says won’t have an effect. “I-I’m sorry,” he offers weakly.

Taemin shakes his head before exiting the apartment with a duffel bag filled with presumably his things.

Minho downs the rest of his alcohol and sinks to the floor.

Minho finds himself sinking into something akin to depression. He still manages to go to his classes, to put on his usually happy act while around his teammates – but when he’s home alone in his apartment he feels himself growing empty, looking at old pictures of him and Jonghyun and deleting the ones of Taemin out of pure guilt. His attempts to contact Jonghyun are futile. The man doesn’t reply to his texts or answers his calls – arriving to the point where Minho’s convinced his number is blocked. Minho doesn’t know what he could possibly say if he ever approached him in person. Kibum avoids him as well, effectively ignoring him whenever they wind up in the elevator together and by foregoing their previous spots.

He shows up to Jinki’s shop one day, attempting to find solace in one member of their squad not directly involved in the drama – but the man looks visibly pained talking to him.

“Kibum told me what happened. He told me not to be friends with you anymore.”

“So, you’re going to cut me off too?” Minho asks, sounding incredibly hurt.

Jinki gives him a look of pity. “I’m sorry Minho. Kibum and Taemin are two of my closest friends and what you did really hurt them both. I c-can’t hang out with you.”

Minho gets his food to go.

“What did I tell you,” Minseok says over a glass of beer.

Minho groans, not interested in being lectured by his older brother.

“I said, you needed to come clean before shit hit the fan. But you didn’t listen and now look. Shit hit the fan.”

Minho sighs heavily.

“How long has it been?” his brother asks.

“T-Three months,” Minho says under his breath.

“And you’re still this fucked up over it? Shit.”

Minho takes a sip of his drink. “It’s not that fucking easy to forget about hyung. J-Jonghyun, he…h-he was my everything,” Minho’s eyes grow misty.

Minseok sighs. “Maybe you should try talking to someone else. Go out there, get laid. Forget about it for a while.”

Minho shakes his head. “I don’t want to. I only want Jonghyun.” Minho stares down at his lock screen, a picture of him and Jonghyun sitting on the elder’s couch with their faces smushed together.

Minseok peers over Minho’s shoulder and groans. “Well you’re not going to get over him if you stare at his picture every day. Change your fucking lock screen and delete those pictures. Besides, you know it’s really fucked up how you don’t mention Taemin when he was the one you were actually dating.”

Minho pushes his phone back into his pocket, feeling the alcohol begin to catch up with him. “T-Tae hates me. S-Said I’m an asshole, w-which I am,” Minho slurs. “B-But Jjong and I…W-We were so r-real.”

“Woah there,” Minseok says. He takes Minho’s glass away from him. “Enough drinking for you.”

His brother drops him home, making sure he makes it safely into his apartment before leaving with the promise to check on him tomorrow.

Minho stares up at the ceiling of his apartment for the longest. The spin of the ceiling fan keeps his drunk mind entertained for the longest. After a while, he grabs his phone and opens up Taemin’s contact information. He starts typing a text but finds himself squinting at the keys, unable to type properly. He settles for a voice note instead.

“H-Hey Taemin. I-It’s me, Minho. I’m kinda d-drunk right now and yeah, I wanted to r-reach out to you for the l-longest but I didn’t k-know what to say. B-But maybe my t-thoughts will come to me e-easier right now. A-Are you doing well? I saw that y-you and Jongin went to L.A on your socials. I hope things are going great, I always believed in your potential.” Minho sighs. “I-I’m stalling cause I want to avoid talking about s-serious things. But I do really wish you all the best with your career. You’ve worked so hard. I’ve always liked that about you. N-No matter what you may think, I always genuinely cared about you Taemin. You were my first real relationship, y-you were literally my first and I’m glad that I was able to experience t-that with you. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to love you as fully as you deserved. J-Jonghyun held a piece of my heart from we were kids and I didn’t realize that until it was too late to act on it. I-It was never my plan to start seeing him when he came back home. I-It just sort of happened. I k-know that’s not an excuse. But it was never my intention to hurt you as much as I did. But I understand that I did hurt you, I hurt you a lot. A-And I’m sorry Tae. So s-sorry. It tears me up inside knowing that I hurt you that much. I hope one day you c-can find it in your heart to forgive me. It doesn’t have to be now or even a year from now…b-but just someday.”

Minho sends the voice note and then hovers over Jonghyun’s number. He presses call but immediately ends it when the phone starts ringing. He sighs and chucks his phone elsewhere on the couch, not knowing what he could possibly say to Jonghyun at this point.

A few months later, Minho finds himself finally taking his brother’s advice. His phone background has been changed to a photo of a palm tree and he’s sitting across from Jihan on their third date.

“You know, I never thought you were interested.”

_He isn’t_ – well not entirely. Jihan’s a handsome guy and they get along well, but Minho would be lying if he said he was truly vested.

He chuckles slightly. “Well. You’re handsome. You know that.”

“It’s different knowing that you find me handsome though,” Jihan says with a smirk.

Minho waves him off with a smile and finishes up his meal.

After their date Jihan asks if Minho would like to come over to his place and he reluctantly agrees.

Jihan’s apartment is a one-bedroom, very small and tidy – but Minho can’t help feeling uncomfortable as they sit on the loveseat with drinks in hand. After small talk about soccer and the conclusion of the semester, Jihan leans forward for a kiss. It’s not their first time kissing each other – _Minho had given him a short peck on their second date –_ but it does feel strange. At this point, Minho is practically starved for human contact, but kissing Jihan doesn’t make him feel anything. When the other man presses a hand on Minho’s chest and attempts to deepen the kiss, Minho pulls away.

“F-Fuck, I’m sorry,” he says, knocking over one of their bottles in his haste to get as far away from the man as possible. “I c-can’t do this. I thought I could, I thought I was ready, but, I…fuck!” Minho grabs his wallet and keys and scrambles up. “I have to go,” he says before fleeing from the other’s apartment.

He gets in his car and drives straight to Jonghyun’s apartment, jolted by the realization that his love for the other has not ceased at all in the six months they’ve been apart.

Minho knocks on the door loudly, asking out loud for Jonghyun to answer it.

When he finally does answer the door, Minho meets pink hair where there had previously been silver.

“M-Minho?” Jonghyun says in surprise.

“P-Please don’t shut the door on me and hear m-me out please,” he begs. “I just went on a date,” Minho says. He inhales deeply. “I went on a d-date and I t-thought it’d been long enough. I thought I was ready. I mean we only spent two months together. Two g-glorious and unforgettable months and here I am six months later freaking out because someone t-tried to kiss me.”

Jonghyun looks at him with eyes of concern mixed with pity.

“B-But I can’t move on because I still love you. I love you so fucking much hyung. I-I’m sorry I didn’t do right by you. I wanted you s-so bad but I wasn’t even the boyfriend you deserved. I had you as my s-secret on the side and I’ll always regret that. I love you and I want to treat you like the boyfriend you deserve to be treated. I w-wanna scream your name from rooftops and let everyone know how much I adore you. B-But I ruined that chance and I-I’m sorry. You’ve probably moved on. I j-just, I h-hope you can forgive m-me. I hope you haven’t spent the last six months h-hating my guts.”

Jonghyun stares up at Minho for the longest. “M-Minho-“

“I-I’ll just go hyung,” Minho says softly. “Thanks for hearing me out.”

He scrambles away from Jonghyun’s apartment as quickly as he had arrived. He drives home, texts Jihan a lengthy apology and passes out on his couch.

When Minho finally wakes up the next morning, he sees a text from Jonghyun.

**Text from _Jonghyunnie_** **_♥♥♥_ ** **, 9 hours ago:**

**_Meet me at the café today, at 3._ **

****

Minho isn’t sure what to expect as he taps his foot anxiously under the table. He’s sitting in the same seat he’d sat in last year when he and Jonghyun had made promises to catch up and give being best friends another go. It feels odd, knowing that it’s almost a year since that happened. They’ve spent more time apart than they have together since Jonghyun’s return.

Jonghyun saunters in at just seven minutes past three and sits down across from Minho.

“H-Hi,” Minho says quietly.

“Hi,” Jonghyun says.

“Why did you ask me he-“

Jonghyun cuts Minho off by motioning a waiter over to their table. He orders a lemonade and a sandwich for himself. Minho orders a water, too nervous to consume anything else. The waiter writes down their orders, promising to be back shortly before leaving to tend to another table.

“So,” Jonghyun begins. “Taemin told me he got a voice message from you.”

Minho furrows his brows, utterly confused at the notion of Taemin keeping in contact with Jonghyun. “O-Oh. Um, yeah. That happened a few months back. I didn’t think he listened to it. He never responded.”

“He messaged me instead,” Jonghyun says. “He doesn’t hold any resentment towards you anymore and he gave me his blessing to date you.”

“Oh? Oh. Um…”

“I had to think about it for a while,” Jonghyun continues. “Actually, it made me feel even worse. That he could be so forgiving. Neither of us deserve that. I-“ Jonghyun pauses while their waiter rests down their drinks. He gives her a small smile after she promises to be back with his food soon.

“I dated too,” Jonghyun resumes. “Taeyeon and I went out a few times. We even fooled around once.”

Minho swallows in attempts to stifle the burning jealousy coursing through him.

“She was really pretty and such a sweet person. But my heart wasn’t in it either. I couldn’t give myself to her fully. I’ve spent the last few months writing sad songs about relationships that can’t seem to work out for whatever reason.” He sips at his lemonade. “I guess what I’m trying to say is I still feel like shit about what we did…but I still love you and despite all the time that’s passed it hasn’t gotten any easier not having you in my life.”

Minho takes a deep breath, feeling like it’s the first one he’s taken since he sat down in this café. 

“I love you too. I l-love you so much hyung.” He reaches for Jonghyun’s hand across the table.

Jonghyun holds onto Minho’s hand tightly. “B-But I don’t think we can just go back to the way things were before.”

Minho frowns at him, slowly pulling his hand away. “Oh?”

Jonghyun snatches his hand back and laces their fingers together. “You could at least court me first.”

Courting Jonghyun proves to be an easy task. With his years of knowledge of the shorter man’s preferences, it’s not difficult to plan dates that the other will like or perform gestures that are guaranteed to make the other swoon.

With the older man’s advice, Minho manages to pick out an excellent gift for Kibum’s birthday. A pricey bracelet accompanied with a letter apologizing for all his wrongdoings.

It takes a while, but Kibum eventually returns to his post as Minho’s best friend.

“I mean I guess I should have known,” Kibum says over a glass of wine.

He’s currently sporting a buzzcut with patches dyed a bunch of different colours. Minho thinks it looks ridiculous but Kibum swears it’s the height of style.

“You were way too sad when Jonghyun-hyung wanted nothing to do with you and then way too excited when he came around. I had my suspicions all along.”

Minho snorts. “Yeah well-“

“And then the disappearing acts. So obvious. But you had to top it all off with the matching rings.”

Minho sighs heavily, not wanting this reminder of his wrongful actions – but unable to blame Kibum nonetheless.

“It’s a good thing Taemin has moved on, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now,” Kibum says as he takes another sip of his wine.

Minho hasn’t spoken to Taemin, it seems as though there was a silent agreement that they would keep their distance. However according to his Instagram and updates from Kibum, he’s currently dating a girl named Seulgi.

“I-I’m so sorry again Bum-“

“Yeah yeah, I know,” Kibum cuts him off. “So back to Jonghyun. Things back to what they were?”

Minho shakes his head. “We’re taking it a little slow. He doesn’t want to be called my boyfriend just yet. We haven’t been sleeping together either.”

“Oh? And you’re fine with that.”

Minho nods. “I’m just happy I get to be in his presence.”

Jonghyun does eventually come around.

Minho takes him on a trip to the Hallasan Mountain and Jonghyun agrees to be his boyfriend – _properly this time_ – right before he dumps snow down Minho’s jacket. 

The revelation of their relationship does not come as a surprise to either of their families. Mrs. Kim and Mrs. Choi look at each other knowingly when the two boys admit to their relationship, commenting that they’d had their suspicions all along but thought that they’d let them figure it out on their own without any pressure. Minho’s father doesn’t comment, but he does smile at the couple fondly a few times over the course of the shared dinner.

“Even though he doesn’t deserve it after the shit he pulled,” Minseok teases. “I’m glad you decided to give Minho another chance Jonghyun. He really cares about you.”

Jonghyun nods with a shy smile.

“But, if he ever pulls any shady business again, I’d be happy to kick his ass for you.”

Jonghyun laughs heartily at that. “I will definitely keep that in mind hyung.”

It’s amazing when you find true love and all your needs satisfied by merely being in their presence. Minho never thought it was possible, but he and Jonghyun have made it official for a month now and he hasn’t felt the urge to ask the man for sex. He misses it, he _wants_ it, but he’s also perfectly content simply curled up on his couch together with the shorter man.

“Hey Minho,” Jonghyun looks up at Minho after noticing him drifting off into his own thoughts.

Minho looks down at him, smiling as he sees the ring fit snugly around Jonghyun’s thumb. “Yeah baby?”

Jonghyun presses a warm kiss to his mouth, before shifting on Minho’s lap so that he’s straddling Minho’s waist. He kisses Minho deeply, hands rubbing all over Minho’s warm skin.

“I-Is this okay?” Jonghyun asks breathlessly. “D-Do you want to?”

Minho nods, unable to find the words.

They move into Minho’s bed. The lights are off, making it difficult to see each other. But Minho finds that he doesn’t need to see the other man to know what expression he’s making. He doesn’t need to see him to please him.

They take things slow, thoroughly exploring each other’s bodies. Minho works his mouth over the entire expanse of Jonghyun’s skin, like it’s the first time he’s ever gotten a taste.

“Shit, you’re killing m-me,” Jonghyun whimpers as Minho’s tongue works over his most intimate spot. Minho doesn’t have much experience doing this but from the sounds Jonghyun’s making, he’s certain it’ll make its way into their routine.

Minho whimpers as he interlocks their fingers above Jonghyun’s head, rocking into him at a slow pace. It feels so good, being able to express his love in such a raw and passionate way. He peppers kisses all over Jonghyun’s face while he moves inside of him. “I l-love you,” he repeats over and over like a mantra.

Jonghyun cums first with his legs tightening around Minho’s waist while his voice reaches pitches Minho’s only ever heard in song. Minho follows soon after, unable to contain himself after feeling the way Jonghyun tightened around him.

Minho can’t see it, but he feels the love and adoration pouring into him from Jonghyun.

“G-God I love you. I wanna spend the rest of my days with you. I wanna write sappy love songs that I’m too embarrassed to play for you and be in the bleachers for every one of your soccer games. And I fucking hate sports. I-“

Minho lets out a breathless laugh before shutting Jonghyun up with a kiss. “I k-know hyung. I k-know. I-I’m sorry it took so long for us to be t-together like this. Y-You know I feel the same. I’ve felt this f-for such a long time. I w-would have waited years for you if I had to.”

Jonghyun kisses Minho deeply and Minho knows that now that he has him fully, he will never let him go.

“So,” Minho starts.

“So,” Jonghyun echoes.

“T-This is awkward,” Minho says apologetically.

“Only if you make it awkward hyung,” Taemin quips.

They’re gathered in a small restaurant – Minho and Jonghyun sitting across from Taemin and his girlfriend Seulgi. Seulgi is even more beautiful in person and has an addicting laugh. Minho can see why Taemin is attracted to her. She and Jonghyun seem to get along well, sharing conversations about books and music throughout the dinner. Minho finds it hard to talk to her, considering he doesn’t know just how much of his and Taemin’s past the girl actually knows.

Minho clears his throat. “I’m sorry. It’s hard for it not to be awkward?” His words come out sounding like a question rather than a statement.

“There’s no hard feelings hyung. You and Jonghyun-hyung are back together and I’ve moved on. I just wanted to meet up with you guys so it wouldn’t be uncomfortable in the future.”

“I’m really sorry again,” Jonghyun says. “Truly.”

“I know,” Taemin replies. “I was never upset with you Jonghyun-hyung. You, on the other hand,” he looks at Minho.

Minho looks away, embarrassed.

“Well…we can let a dead thing stay dead.”

Jonghyun rests a comforting hand on Minho’s knee. “So…Are you moving back to Seoul?” Jonghyun asks in attempts to change the conversation.

“Oh no, we’re only visiting,” Taemin says. “There’s still a lot more of the world I wanna see.”

Minho nods, knowing that Taemin had ambitions that could not be confined to South Korea.

“I know you’ll do well,” Minho says quietly.

Taemin gives him a small smile.

After dinner they decide to go to a karaoke bar. Jongin shows up halfway through the night along with his girlfriend. Jinki joins them later followed by Kibum and his new boyfriend Donghyun.

“Are you okay?” Jonghyun asks Minho when he sits down after belting out a TVXQ song. “You don’t look like you’re having a good time.”

Minho’s the only one who hasn’t sang tonight.

“I-It just feels…weird,” Minho confesses. “Being around everyone like this. It almost feels normal. But I still feel like an asshole for what I did. And everyone knows.”

Jonghyun rubs his hand gently. “Why don’t you talk to him…alone.”

Minho chews on his lip nervously. “You’d be okay with that? After everything?”

“Of course. I trust you Minho. I know you’re not that person.”

Spurred on by Jonghyun’s declaration of trust, Minho approaches Taemin and asks if he can talk to him alone.

“You look happy,” Minho tells him as they stand out on the balcony of the establishment. “Is it real or is it just for show?”

Taemin scoffs. “Over a year later and you expect me to still be crying over you?”

“N-No that’s not what I meant, it’s just-“

“Calm down. I’m just fucking with you,” Taemin says. “I am happy. Genuinely. I love Seulgi and entering a partnership with Jongin was the best decision I made career wise. I have lots to be happy about.”

_Love_. Minho can’t recall ever saying that word to Taemin and _really_ meaning it. “You love her?”

Taemin nods. “Yeah, I do.”

He says it with so much conviction. “That’s good. I’m really happy for you Tae.”

Taemin hums. “I don’t have to ask if you’re happy. It’s so apparent with the way you look at Jonghyun. It’s almost disgusting.” He takes a sip of his beer.

“Does that bother you?”

“At first it did. I spent so many nights wondering why you would look at him like that, and not me. But it doesn’t bother me anymore. I can see now that the love we had for each other or at least thought we had doesn’t compare to the real thing. You know? I still care about you. I always will. But I’m not in love with you.”

Minho nods, not at all hurt by those words – rather feeling a sense of peace that Taemin has been able to move on.

“I’ll always care about you. I know I was drunk in the voice memo, but I meant everything I said. I know we probably won’t ever be friends again, but I just want you to be happy and to take good care of yourself.”

Taemin gives him a small smile. “I will.”

Minho pulls the younger man in for a hug. “Thank you Taemin.”

Taemin hugs him back. “For what?”

“For forgiving me. That means more to me than you know.”

Taemin pulls back. “I know you’re not a bad guy Minho. I never thought you were. You let your heart get the best of you. It also sucks cause Jonghyun-hyung is so hard to hate. He’s really sexy too-“

“Hey, are you trying to make the moves on my man?” Minho teases.

Taemin laughs with him.

“There you guys are,” Kibum says as he joins them on the balcony. “Come back to the room, we’ve only got 10 minutes left and Minho has yet to sing a song.”

Minho shakes his head as he and Taemin are both pulled along by Kibum.

He sings a song that he thinks both Jonghyun and Taemin will enjoy.

“Hey Min…”

“Hmm?”

They’re lying in their shared bed, huddled under the covers for warmth, with Jonghyun’s unbelievably cold toes tickling Minho’s ankles. It’s late December, with Christmas right around the corner. They both want to make the most of their first Christmas living together in their own home.

“What do you think about getting married?”

Minho pitches up at that, rolling over on top of Jonghyun so he can look at the other clearly.

“What did you just say?”

Jonghyun averts his eyes, suddenly feeling shy under Minho’s intense gaze. “I-I’m asking you to marry me.”

“N-no Jjong why…”

Jonghyun visibly deflates. “You don’t want to get married?” His eyes well up a little bit.

“No no Jonghyun, of course I do baby,” Minho chuckles at how easily emotional his boyfriend can get. He squishes Jonghyun’s cheeks together. “Idiot. Of course I do. But you ruined my surprise.” Minho sighs and rolls over to his original position.

Jonghyun sniffles. “Surprise?”  
  


“I was gonna propose to you next spring. I had this big thing planned. I was gonna take you out to a nice hotel for the weekend, one with a view of the beach. And on our last night, I would lead you to the balcony of our room and you’d look down at the beach and there would be ‘ _Will you marry me Jjong_ ’ in big letters in the sand.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course I am hyung! I was gonna book the reservations this week.”

Jonghyun chuckles and then presses a kiss to Minho’s pouting lips. “You’re so cheesy.”

“Shut up, you would’ve cried if I did.”

He kisses Minho again. “Maybe…But still, will you though? Will you marry me?”  
  


Minho grumbles. “Of course I will,” he pulls Jonghyun against his chest. The shorter man sighs in contentment as he wraps his arms around Minho’s waist.

“We should start planning the wedding. Maybe a beach wedding so your fantasy will be fulfilled.”

Minho smiles, and laces his fingers with Jonghyun’s. “Yeah? And after we’re married what are we gonna do next? Adopt some kids?”

“Ooh ooh, two boys and a girl. Or two girls and a boy. We can start a cute little family.”

“The cutest little family.” 

Jonghyun grins and kisses Minho’s chin. The latter’s cheeks hurt from smiling at the idea of marrying his best friend and starting a family with him. And it would be the best family ever. They’d love and nurture their children just as much as they love and care for each other. And their lives will forever be filled with constant happiness.

Jonghyun yawns and snuggles more into Minho’s embrace.

“I love you Frogho.”

“I love you more Dinoboy.”

_The End._


End file.
